The Future has come to Past
by Country fan 7
Summary: When a man comes to Buffy and she finds out he's her son from the future, she does everything she can to help him save it before the world goes to hell and reunite with his father and former lover. Season 5. read and review. WARNING: first fanfic.
1. New Player

Chapter 1: New Player

It was summertime in Sunnydale, California. Buffy and the Scooby Gang had taken down Adam and The Initiative two months ago and were enjoying their summer. Buffy and Riley were together and being a typical couple, if typical couples go out on patrols in graveyards and kill demons and vampires.

Buffy and Riley were the graveyard fighting off five vampires. Riley took two while Buffy took on three. She kicked one in the chin and sent it flying and then dusted one that came up behind her.

"Sometimes this is just too easy" she said.

Riley dusted one of his vampires and was fighting the other one. Buffy jumped flip over one vampire that was charging at her and she staked him from behind. Her last vampire lunged at her and she staked him while in mid-air. Riley finished off his vampire and they both looked at each other.

"You Ok?" he asked.

"Yeah. Typical night for the Slayer" She responded.

"You wanna do one more sweep?"

"No. I actually feel kind tired, so I'm gonna hit the hay. Where did that expression come from anyway?" Buffy asked with a puzzled expression on her face. "Did farmers use to hit their hay before going to bed?"

"Don't know" Riley responded.

"Yet you're the farm boy."

"Just because I use bail doesn't mean I know everything about farmers and their sayings. I just know the sayings, not their origins."

Buffy chuckled at his remark

"I'll do one final sweep and then 'hit the hay'" He said with a grin.

"Great" she said with a smile and then she went up and kissed him goodbye. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya"

Buffy left the graveyard and started walking towards her house. She like that she was home again. She missed her mother when she was off at college and she missed her back. While Riley was off getting discharged from the government, Buffy spent time with her mother. They had become so close since she found that her own daughter was the Vampire Slayer. Buffy still remembered when she came home with Spike and dusted two vampires in front of her mother and explained who she truly was. When she tried to leave to fight Angel, her mother tried to stop her and when she didn't let her, she practically kicked Buffy out of her own home. After Buffy came back from LA, and they dealt with the zombie party, her mother accepted her and apologized for how she acted.

Buffy was rounding a corner when she felt that familiar presence that someone was following her. She stops and turns around, but no one is there. She continues walking and feels the same presence that someone is behind her. After walking for a ways, Buffy ducks into an alley and looks for a place to hide.

'Ok you want to follow me, you pay the consequences' she thought to herself. She then looks up and sees a bar high above her. She suddenly remembers Angel revealing himself to her when she first moved to Sunnydale and how she kicked him from behind from the same bar. If this was Angel or something else, she was going to kick it even harder. Buffy jumps and catches onto the bar and does a handstand.

A man walks into the alley and stops. Then slowly walks more into the alley until he is right under Buffy. Buffy then swings down to kick the man in the back, but just as she will make contact, the man ducks and buffy goes flying off the bar. She lends and rolls to get up and faces the man. At first she was taken aback. This man looked somewhat like Angel, but she could tell it wasn't him. He was tall like Angel and had on a black coat like Angels as well, but he had on blue jeans, black shirt, and black cowboy boots. _'Angel would never wear those'_ she thought. He had short, spiked, black hair and was wearing a pair of sunglasses. It looked like he was trying to pull off a Terminator look. _'Has to be a vampire.'_

"What do want?" she asked. "Why are you following?"

"Just out for a walk" the man responded with a grin.

"At night with sunglasses on? What's with them anyway?"

The man chuckled before answering.

"Don't worry. I know what you're thinking, and I'm not."

"Not what?" she asked testing him.

"A vampire."

"Still didn't answer my second question."

"It's a thing." He responded with a shrug.

"You trying to pull off the Terminator?"

"Look, I didn't come here to throw puns. I'm simply here to help."

Buffy lowered guard but stood ready in case it was a trick.

"Help with what?" she asked.

"Serious shit's going to go down. When it does you'll need all the help you can get."

"What's going to go down?" she asked impatiently. This guy seemed to have taken cryptic guy 101.

"You're on the Hellmouth" he replied. "A lot is going to go down. Just remember, you have a choice. You always have a choice. Fight or not fight. Right now you can choose to not have my help when things blow up, or you could have me help you and have a real good chance of standing afterwards."

"You know, I had a cryptic guy tell me all this stuff about impending doom and apocalypses before. Didn't like it the first, really don't like it the second time. Just tell me what's coming." She stressed the last part firmly.

"I'll be in touch" he said and turned around to walk out of the alley.

"Wait!" Buffy said. "I didn't catch your name."

He stopped and turned to her.

"Because I didn't give it" he said and then walked away. Buffy went to follow him but when she got out the alley, 'cryptic guy' was nowhere in sight. Buffy walked back to her house while being on constant guard for anything the might be following her. After getting in bed, she made a plan to a call a Scooby meeting tomorrow and tell them about her encounter.

"Then he said 'I'll be in touch" and left. Buffy was explaining her encounter with 'cryptic guy' to the rest of the gang at Giles house.

"I'll be in touch?" Xander asked. "Not 'I'll be back' in his best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice. Buffy had explained that 'cryptic guy' was dressed somewhat like the Terminator.

"No." she responded. "I was actually hoping he would though."

"He said that serious events would occur?" Giles asked.

"Not in those exact words but, yeah. He wouldn't even tell me what is going to happen."

"Did you follow him to see where he lives?" Riley asked.

"No, I tried, but when I got out of the alley he was nowhere in sight."

"I say wait until you see him again, then follow him to his place. This guy sounds like bad news to me"

"Yeah." Xander chipped in. "Because the last 'cryptic guy that Buffy kicked "

"Failed to" Buffy interrupted.

"Failed to kick," Xander corrected himself before continuing. "ended up killing our friends and nearly sending the world to hell."

"Xander!" Willow chided. "It wasn't him that did all those things."

"Whatever, I'm with Riley, this guy sounds like he could be up to something bad."

"Or he could be up to something good." Tara interjected. "He could possibly mean what he said."

"All good points" Giles pointed out. "But until we learn more about this person, we can't trust him."

"Way ahead of you Giles." Buffy said. "In the mean time I'll keep my eyes open for this guy."

Three weeks had passed and Buffy still hadn't seen or heard anything of 'cryptic guy.' She patrolled and kept a watchful eye for him but every night was the same. Vampire/demon or nothing at all. Her luck finally turned when she was walking out of a shoe with Willow. She saw him finally after two weeks leaving the Espresso Pump and walking in the opposite direction.

"Willow! There he is."

"Where?" Willow asked and Buffy pointed in his direction.

"Here" she said as she handed Willow her bag of new shoes and her purse. "Take these back to my house, I'm going to go follow him."

"Ok" Willow agreed and as Buffy began to walk to 'cryptic guy' willowed yelled back" Be careful."

"I will be" Buffy responded and followed 'cryptic guy.' She followed him down some streets and alleyways, keeping a close distance but far enough to not attracted attention. The route he was taking seemed like he was attempting to lose someone in case he was being followed. Twice and ducked in an alley and doubled back to go the opposite direction. Buffy had a hard time keeping up with him until she finally saw him go into an apartment building. It took Buffy a second to realize that the apartment building was the same one that Angel used to stay until he move to the mansion. She followed him inside and saw him go to the stairs and followed him down. She stopped at the top of a landing when she realized that the only thing down her was Angles old apartment. This guy that looked and acted like Angel was staying in his old place. Buffy didn't understand. She decided to wait until he left so that she could snoop through his apartment for answers. She hid in the shadows away from the door waiting for him the leave. She didn't have to wait that long for 'cryptic guy came out, close his door and went back upstairs.

Buffy made her way to the door and opened it. She peered inside and was surprised to see that everything in the apartment was exactly as she last saw it after her night with Angel. The pictures on the walls, the statue in the corner, the bed, the lamps, everything was the same. The only thing different was a sports bag of some kind on the coffee table. _'Jackpot' _she thought to herself. She opened up the bag and ruffled though it. All she found was a black long sleeve shirt and short sleeve shirt, a pair of gym clothes, and something that looked like black block. She picked it and examined it even further. It was light and metallic. On the back it had what appeared to be a sticker of an apple with a bite taken out of it. She flipped it over and what appeared to be a screen. Buffy remembered seeing things like this in science fiction moves. At the bottom was a button and she pressed it. All of a sudden he screen lit up and she was shocked to see a picture of herself, but she looked older in the picture then she does now. At the top gave the current date and time.

_2:29 Thursday, August 12._

At the bottom of the screen was an arrow pointing to her right and a glistening words that read _"slide to unlock." _She did so and the screen changed, showing Buffy all these different images on the picture of her. Below these pictures were labels, each say something different like mail, calendar, photos, YouTube. Whatever that was. Since she knew a picture said a thousand words she picked on photos and exactly eight mini pictures came up. She squinted to see them but she couldn't tell what they were. She tapped the device again on the first picture and what came up shocked her even more. It was picture of her in a hospital gown, holding to babies in her arms. One was wrapped in a blue blanket, that must be a boy, and the other was wrapped in a pink blanket, that had to be a girl. Tapped the screen and to somehow get out and look at other pictures. She saw arrows on the side and tapped the right arrow. The pictured moved and the next one came into view. It was another one of her with the baby boy reading to him. She went to the next picture and it was of her with the same boy at his first birthday with the girl. She saw the next picture of her with a four year old boy and he was holding a blue stuffed bear and she was holding him. Buffy noticed that the boy was starting to look more and more like the 'cryptic guy.' The boy had black hair and eyes that matched perfectly with Buffy's. As each picture went by, she saw the boy and sometime the girl with her. The last picture was of the boy, now sixteen years old and he was with a girl who looked like him but also like her and they were either side of someone who Buffy never expected to see. It was Angel. He had his arms around the teens and they were all smiling. The boy had on Angels coat and around his neck was Buffy's cross necklace. The girl had on leather jacket and was holding, buffy recognized, Mr. Pointy. She tapped the screen and noticed that there was a line on the bottom of the screen.

"_Me, Kathy, and Dad" _

Buffy tapped the arrow again and went back to the first picture of her in the hospital with the babies. She read the line at the bottom.

"_Me, Kathy, and Mom"_

Buffy was in disbelief at everything she just saw. A man had a device with pictures of her that she never took and they all said that this boy was with her and she was his mother. The door opened behind her and 'cryptic guy' came in and stopped dead staring at her. She starred at him back still holding the device in her hands. _'It can't be, it can't be'_ she kept thinking to herself.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her and Buffy couldn't even speak because she was so shocked. He looked at the device in her hand and realized what she was looking at. He sighed and lowered his head knowing what she had found. He closed his door and walked to her and she took a step back.

"That's mine." He simply said pointing to the device in her hands. She looked and the device and the picture of her and the babies one more time before looking back at him and asking

"Who are you?"

He took a deep breath before taking off his glasses, showing her his eyes that matched perfectly with hers. He reached for the device and took it from her and place it his sports bag before answering.

"Is that the question you are really asking?"

She took a breath too before asking the question that she probably already knew the answer too.

"Are you "she began to whisper. "my son?" she finished.

He simple stared at her before answering.

"Only if I can save the future so that I can be your son."

She simply stood there with a shocked face.


	2. New Player (cont)

Chapter 2: New Player (cont.)

"_Are you "she began to whisper. "my son?" she finished._

_He simple stared at her before answering._

"_Only if I can save the future so that I can be your son."_

Buffy sat on the couch staring off into space, still trying to wrap her head around what she just found out not 30 seconds ago. Her son, _HER _son, was here. He came over from the mini kitchen with a glass of water.

"Here" he said placing the glass in front of her. "Sorry I don't have anything else, but I don't coffee would be good for you in this situation."

"You thought right." Buffy responded while taking the glass and sipping it. He took a seat next to her and placed his elbows on his knees while folding his hands and leaning forward. Buffy looked at him and still couldn't believe that the man in front of her was her son. Apart of her wanted to believe that he was here, the other part was thinking that it was some sort of hoax. Like Gwendolyn Post posing as a watcher after she had been fired. She didn't know what to believe.

"I know that this is a lot for you to take in" he began to speak. "Certainly not something you'd expect to hear or see when you woke up this morning."

"If you know me at all, then a lot of what happens to me isn't something someone expects when the wake up." Buffy said. "I still don't expect half the things that happen when I wake"

"I meant besides all the vampires, and demons, and supernatural stuff that normally goes on in your day."

"Yeah" She took another sip of water. Her mind was blowing with questions for this man that says he is her future child. But it seemed like he could read her mind.

"I know you have a lot of questions for me." he said looking at her. "A lot of questions about the future."

"How about I start with a basic." She said sitting up straight and turning to him. "What's you name?" She asked looking into his green eyes.

"Liam"

"Liam. That's a nice name"

"You named me after my father." He said while sitting up straighter.

"Angel?" she asked confirming her suspicions.

"Yeah"

She looked away and leaned back on the couch. This was too much for. She just got into a nice normalish relationship with Riley, and now she is finding out that she is the future wife of her former lover and the mother of his future child. Wait. Something wasn't right with this situation.

"I thought that vampires can't have children?" she asked looking at him.

"They can't" he replied sitting back. "But I'm gift."

"A gift?"

"A reward, so to speak. When you and Angel got together in the future and Angel's soul was bound, he had done so much gone between now and then and so much good after, that the Powers That Be thought he deserved a little bit happiness. Thus, me" he finished.

"Right" Buffy said sarcastically. "Because the Powers all always saying 'have a reward for saving the day all the time and giving up things that would normally make you happy'" she finished sarcastically.

"Let's just say that the Powers saw that even though Angel could be happy in this life, he could still fight the good fight them and save the world."

Buffy sighed before continuing on.

"Why did you come back?" a question that had been bugging her most of all the billions of questions going around her head. He shifted in his seat and took breathe before answering.

"The future is pretty fucked up. In my time, an apocalypse strikes and we have no way of stopping it."

"Aren't I there?" she asked looking confused. "Or you father?"

"No" he simply stated looking down at the ground. "A lot of the people that are alive today aren't there in my time. They have been killed off by the other apocalypses and demons while it was getting started. Some of them that could have stopped it before it got really bad died as it began."

"But when one slayer dies, another one comes forward. Shouldn't there be slayer in your time?"

"There is, but she isn't as strong as you are. And no matter what, nobody can stop what's going to happen. I came back because there are a number of events that lead to this apocalypse, events that you and Angel play roles in. Some of them end good, others not. I came back to change this events so that we could have a fighting chance in the future. Possibly even avoid the Apocalypse all together."

"Do you know when these events are?"

"Yeah"

Buffy contemplated this information in her mind. The future was hell, literally. And her son was in front of her telling her about it. She wanted to help.

"What can I do to help?" she asked. He looked at the floor and then back at her.

"For now, nothing. The best you can do is go about your normal day fighting the forces of darkness." He replied.

"Your putting me on the bench?" she asked surprised. "Sorry, but I don't do that. I'm the kind of slayer that is the 'get down and dirty' kind. If you knew me at all, you'd know that"

"I know Buffy." He said sternly. "It's just that the first event that leads to my future doesn't happen for a few months now. And I didn't plan on you knowing who I was."

"Then why did you tell me?"

"Because you broke into my apartment and busted me." he said standing up and looking at her. "I wasn't even planning on telling you at all. I was planning on guiding you and Angel towards these events and fighting side by side. Taking out the bad guys and falling in love again."

"Good plan" she said sarcastically while standing up and facing him. "But it lacks a lot of detail."

"Work in progress" he replied while pacing the apartment. "That's why I didn't go to the event in the first place to stop it. I wanted you and Angel to do that."

"What is the first event anyway?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" she asked sternly.

"Because I just can't!" he said. He stopped pacing and looked at her. "there are something's that I can tell you, but a lot I can't. For fear that it might change the future in someway that I don't want it to. Change it into something even worse, if that's possible." He began to pace again. "That's why I didn't want you or anyone to find out. Because you'll ask me a lot of questions and expect me to save all these lives between now and then and know certain things to help you guys when facing another apocalypse." He stopped again and inhaled deeply before continuing. "there are something's I know and certain things I don't know. For the bad things that I know, I have to let some of them happen, otherwise a lot good the come form them, won't happen."

Buffy took his words in and understood his reasoning. What if he saved a life now but ten or a hundred died as a result. How selfish was that. he obviously had a certain agenda.

"How do you know what to change and what not to change?" she asked.

"Because I was told about them by what's left of the gang. We know what the critical events to saving the future are and what a certain outcome should do to change it."

"Should do?"

"Nothings perfect Buffy. Life doesn't turn out exactly as you want it."

Buffy understood. Her life wasn't perfect, no matter how much she wants it to be. if it was perfect, she would have Angel be with her and human, Jenny to be alive and be with Giles, her parents together again, and possible be not the slayer. She hugged herself and shifted her feet while looking at the floor.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked looking back up at him.

"Nothing at the moment." Liam replied and stepped closer to her. "But you can't tell anyone. No one can know who I am. If word gets out then your friends will be all over me and so will demons and the forces of darkness. They'll torture me for information so that the future can be in their favor."

"But isn't an apocalypse in evil's favor?"

"Some yes, others want it so that they are the soul rulers of this dimension. Or wipe out all of certain demons or humans. Future knowledge can be very dangerous in the wrong hands."

"Ok" she nodded.

He paused before saying

"You should go" pointing to the door. "If your not back to report to your watcher, they come looking for you. I'd rather not have anyone else know where I live."

"Ok" she said again and started heading for the door. She stopped as she held the handle and looked back at her son. "What should I tell them?"

"Say you didn't find out anything. I lost you somehow while you tried to follow me." she nodded and left the apartment. She walked the entire way back to Revello Drive. Everything he said was playing in her head. She will have a son, maybe even a daughter, Angel is her husband. Angel. How is she going to be with Angel when she is with Riley, how can she go back to her former lover and still have Riley in her life. How was she going to do this. As she got back home her mother out from the kitchen and caught her before she went upstairs.

"Buffy" Joyce asked.

"Yeah mom"

She came with the phone in her hand.

"Mr. Giles just called. He said that when you got back to meet him at his house to discuss some slayer business."

"Oh" Buffy said looking at her. "Ok. Ill uh do that."

"Is everything alright Buffy" Joyce asked concerned.

"Yeah" Buffy replied. "why do you ask?"

"You look like you just found out something terrible. Did you?"

"No. everything's fine. I'd better go talk to Giles"

"Ok" her mother said still looking a little concerned. "if you're sure."

"I am" and with that Buffy left house to go Giles's. As Giles opened the door for her, she found all of the scoobies sitting around waiting for her.

"Buffy" Riley said coming over to her and wrapping her in a hug. She hesitated before hugging back. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Yeah" she replied and they both got out of the hug.

"Did you find out where 'cryptic guy' lives?" Anya asked. At first Buffy didn't know who she was talking about until she remembered that that was what she called Liam before she found out who he was.

"No" she replied. "I lost him. He probably knew someone was following him."

"Well that's ok Buff" Xander said. "At least you tried." He reassured her.

"I say we still keep an eye out for this guy" Riley said. "If he is sneaking around town, losing tails, and giving cryptic messages, it's safe to say that this guy has some sort of secret agenda and doesn't want anybody to know about him or it."

"I conquer" Giles agreed. "I could very possible that this man is out to gain Buffy's trust and use it against her. Maybe even recruit her to cause that deviates from the path of the slayer."

"Buffy, are you sure you ok?" Willow asked looking at her best friend.

"Yeah" Buffy said. "Why does everyone keep asking me that? I'm fine." But she wasn't. She was with a man that wasn't her future husband, the future is going to go to hell and she can't stop it, and she has to lie to everyone she cares about who could help her and her future son. People who she trusted more than anyone else. This wasn't going to be easy for her.


	3. It's for the best

Chapter 3: It's for the best

**Hey, thanks for some of the reviews. Honestly I didn't expect some on the first day, so thanks. Don't worry for all you die hard Bangel fans out there, Buffy and Angel are going to be together. This chapter should shed some light on Buffy's relationship with Riley. Enjoy!**

"_So Liam took the demon from behind and Kathy hurled her axe threw the air it imbedded in the demon." Angel was talking about Liam and Kathy's kill earlier today to Buffy as they were eating at the dinner table._

"_Wow" Buffy responded. "You guys are really quite the pair." She said looking at her children._

"_Yeah it was awesome" Kathy said. "But I though you said they were tough dad. This thing didn't put up much of a fight."_

"_Well maybe it's because you were better trained" Angel responded while putting a piece of broccoli in his mouth. He looked over at Liam who seemed interested at something at his side. Angel leaned to get a better look and saw Liam put his broccoli in the dog's mouth. _

"_Liam!" Liam looked up at his father. "Your mother spent hours working on this dinner for you and you're feeding to the dog. Really?"_

"_Dad" Liam said taking a piece of broccoli with his fork and holding it up. "This isn't food, this is what my food eats." Everyone at the table laughed at his joke._

Buffy woke from her dream that she had. She didn't really know if it was a dream or not. Since she found out about Liam and that he was hers and Angels son, she had been having dreams about a possible future with them. She loved Angel, and she loved her son, and she loved her future daughter, even if she never met her. She loved this future family of hers and she wanted to have them now. She remembered back to when she had a conversation with Angel about kids. He couldn't have them, but that didn't stop him obviously. She said she didn't want kids, but only his love. Now she wants his love and his kids.

Buffy got out of bed, took a quick shower and went downstairs to get some breakfast. She walked into the kitchen and found her mom making herself some breakfast. She turned around and noticed Buffy walking in.

"Good morning Buffy" she said.

"Morning mom" she said back. She went to the refrigerator looking for something for breakfast.

"So what are your plans for today?" her mom asked her.

"I was thinking maybe hang with the gang, enjoy the summer, and maybe even throw in a little mother daughter time."

"So, basically what you did yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that…."

"In a nutshell" Both women laughed. Buffy got herself some cereal and had just finished it when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it" she said to her mom. She opened up the door and there stood Riley, her current boyfriend.

"Hey" he said. "You ready?"

"Ready?" She asked "Ready for what?"

"I'm guessing you forgot about are breakfast plans this morning." He said with a little frown.

"Oh. Oh yeah breakfast. Sorry." She said apologetically. She remembered that they had made plans for breakfast yesterday but she forgot this morning on account of her dream last night. "Sorry I forgot, I had this really crazy dream last night and it was all my mind thought about this morning."

"What was the dream about?" She didn't know how to reply. She couldn't tell him about Liam or the future and she diffidently didn't want to hurt him.

"Uh…" she began. "I was in Psych class." She said thinking on the spot.

"Psych class?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. I was in psych class and Professor Walsh gave us test and said that if we didn't pass, then are futures were over. And I didn't study for it. I woke up and starting getting my Psych materials together when I realized that it summer."

"Well, one it is summer, and two, Walsh is dead."

"Yeah, also realized that. Could we have a reign check on that breakfast? I kind of already had cereal."

"Yeah no problem" he replied a little hurt. "I guess I'll just be going." He turned and started walking away.

"Riley" she called back and turned to face her. "I really am sorry" she said in the most apologetic and sincere way possible. He smiled at her, came up and kissed her.

"It's ok. Breakfast tomorrow then?"

"Yeah. I'll remember."

"You better." And with that he turned and left. Buffy closed the door and leaned on. She was in love with Angel. She has a future with him. Maybe a crappy future, but a future. But she loves Riley. Not the way she loves Angel, but she loves him. She really didn't want to break his heart. She wasn't that kind of person. The only one she could talk to about all this was her son, and she knew what direction he'd want her to go in. She though maybe it was Ok to go and talk to Liam about it.

She approached Liam's apartment door, turned the knob, and opened it up. As she entered she felt the whoosh of something being thrown at her and it embedded in the door with a loud thud. She turned and saw a small axe in the door.

"Dammit Buffy" Liam said coming to the door and taking the axe out. He closed the door and looked at Buffy with a stern look on his face. "I could have killed you. Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

"Why would I knock? No body is suppose to even live here." She pointed out.

"Someone or something could be on the other side of the door wanting to come in." he replied.

"Why would someone or something be on the other side of the door wanting to come in?"

"Because no one is even suppose to live her." The both scoffed at each other in the exact same manner. Liam put the axe in his belt and Buffy noticed that the belt held the axe on his right side, a knife of the other, and little pouches going around the front.

"Nice utility belt. Does it come with Bat-a-rangs too?" she said with a smirk. He simply sighed at her and went back to packing some things up. "You leaving?" she asked hoping the answer was no.

"Just for a few days." He responded. "I need to go to LA and talk to a friend."

"Do you plan on seeing your father while you're there?"

"Maybe" he said turning to her. "Maybe form a distance. Just to see how he operates now."

"Oh" she said and looked to the ground.

"Did you need something?" Buffy looked up at him. Not knowing exactly how to ask. So she took the plunge.

"It's about….Riley." Liam simply stared at her.

"What about him?"

"I'm currently…..seeing him" he nodded at her not understanding what she was asking. "But, Angel is your father." Now he finally got it.

"You want to know what you should do in this situation because you love both men."

"In a nutshell" Liam crossed his arms and second to gather his thoughts.

"Stay with him." He said and Buffy was taken aback. She didn't expect this answer from him, let alone even suggest it.

"Why?! Don't want Angel as your father?" she asked in disbelief.

"I do Buffy. I really do. I love Angel." He paused to collect himself. "You need to stay with Riley because it's good for you." Buffy didn't understand what he was saying. Her own son, telling her not to love his father even though they end up together in the future. It didn't make any sense.

"What are you talking about?" Liam sighed and scratched the back of his head, similar to how Angel did, before continuing.

"The relationship was good for you" he said to her and started to elaborate. "You two moving on and seeing other people, the few people it may have been for the both of you, helped you both grow more in the future. When you guys got backed together, you loved each other even more then when you loved each other before you separated." Buffy simply stared at him. She understood his reasoning, no matter how stupid it was. God he was like Angel. "If you had stayed together, Angel may never have gone to LA and help all those people there and maybe you guys might have separate because you wanted more. I mean you do want children now, right?"

It was true. Now knowing that she would children in the future she wanted them. But she wanted them to be Angels children, and she new that that was going to happen. But she still didn't like lying to Riley. Even though she loves Angel more than him, she still loved Riley

"So I have to pretend to be in love with a man who I know I won't spend the rest of my life with. Yeah, that sounds logical." She said sarcastically.

"Look Buffy" he said and took a few steps towards her. "If I could control everything that was going on, you and Angel would be together with out separating, Riley would be ok with it, Angel would be saving lives in LA and you saving the world here, and an apocalypse won't even happen in my time. Or at all. But I can't make that happen. You have to stay with him for now. Believe me I hate it more than you at the moment, but it has to happen." He stressed the last part. "It's for the best. In the mean time, enjoy if you can. Besides, the fact that I'm here in front you, a blend of you and Angel, should tell you that everything will work out." He reassured her. It helped somewhat, but not much with her current situation.

"I'm not sure I can pull off this charade with him." Buffy said. "I feel like I'm cheating on your father."

"Well technically you guys aren't even together so it doesn't even matter."

"How can you say that?" she asked looking angrily at him. "I'm your mother and I'm boinking another guy instead your father."

"Ok, really did not need that."

"Sorry" she said. Buffy looked at the ground and hugged herself. "I just, don't like being in this situation." Looking back up at him.

"Believe me, it's no better on my end. I'm actually allowing mother to…..I'm not even going to finish that sentence." At this Buffy smiled a bit. "Look, Riley is a good guy. I've heard something's about him in the future." At this she perked up.

"Like what?"

"Well, I know that he gets married and that's all I'm saying." He stopped himself before he went even further. "Buffy, I'm trying to make it so the only people that really hurt badly are the demons. I want Riley to leave on his terms instead of being heart broken." Buffy took this in. her son was trying to make it so that everyone felt the least amount of pain as possible.

"Where did you learn to be so caring about others?" she asked him.

"Angel" he responded with a shrug. Buffy still didn't like this but she understood his reasons for it.

"Ok. But I still don't like it. I mean, I never been good with the whole acting thing."

"Buffy its acting" he said to her. "You show up, say some stuff, and go home. Anybody can do it." She chuckled at his remark, thinking it was funny. Liam looked at his watch and then back at her. "Look, Buffy, I have to go" he said while getting his gym bag from the bed. "If I don't, I'll miss my bus."

"Why do you have to go to LA anyway?" she asked.

"Have to see a friend about some information. I'll be back soon." He put on his sunglasses and headed for the door. Before he left he turned to her, "Just acted like everything in normal." She gave him a look. "Normal-ish" he added with a shrug. "Now am I going to have to leave you here in my apartment or are you going out too?" Buffy shrugged and headed out while he closed the door.

This was not going to be easy. She didn't like lying to the gang when Angel came back from hell, and she certainly didn't like lying to everyone of the fact that she doesn't love Riley the same way he loves her and that Angel is her future husband. She was praying to God and the Powers that this would end up for the best for everyone. She was putting a lot of faith and trust into her son that she barley even knows. Her life could not get anymore complicated.

**So yeah. Buffy loves Riley, but she loves Angel more. She is going to pretend to be in love with him and she will certainly pull it off. Next chapter is the start of Season 5 offically. More is to come. Please review and comment.**


	4. Real me

Chapter 4: Real Me

**Warning: this chapter is a little long so bare with it. Ok. So for the next few chapters, I'm going to try and stick to the canon. No, I will not write in any Buffy and Riley moments, if I can help it. In these chapters, I want to have more of Mother Son moments before Angel comes in. Don't worry, I won't forget him. I really like Angel and Buffy. No Riley, No Spike, No one but Angel. Enjoy!**

Liam took a deep breath before he got up. He couldn't believe that he had to do this. Though he did it before in the future and he enjoyed it then, he really didn't want to do this now. But he had to do it if he was going to have his help. He got up out of his chair as the music started to play and took his spot on stage and started to sing.

_When you hear twin fiddles and a steel guitar,_

_You're listening to the sound of the American heart._

_And Opry music on a Saturday night_

_Brings a smile to your face and a tear to your eye._

_Sing a song about the heartland,_

_The only place I feel at home._

_Sing about the way a good man_

_Works until the daylight's gone._

_Sing the rain on the roof on a summer night_

_Where they still know wrong from right._

_Sing a song about the heartland._

_Sing a song about my life._

Liam was in Caritas and asked for Lorne's help. He said that he would do it if he sang for him. As he sang the demons and humans in the bar clapped to the beat cheering him on.

_Sing a song about the heartland,_

_The only place I feel at home._

_Sing about the way a good man_

_Works until the daylight's gone._

_Sing the rain on the roof on a summer night_

_Where they still know wrong from right._

_Sing a song about the heartland._

_Sing a song about my life._

_HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEYEAH!_

As the song ended everyone and everything I the bar got up out of their seats and cheered for him. Liam got down from the stage and went over to Lorne who was clapping as well.

"Well, butter my fanny and call me toast! That was great. You were great." Lorne said as the next person got on stage and Liam took a seat at the bar.

"Alright, I sang for you. Now are you going to help me or not?" Liam asked forcefully.

"First things first, the song. Good choice. Can never go wrong with the king of country. You also sing better than your dad did when he was last here. I give him points for effort and the choice of song, but I wouldn't recommend him singing in public again."

"Well unlike him, I had practice from a young age." Liam said with a slight grin.

"But I also noticed that unlike the song, your home is bad. I mean really bad. I actually have half a mind to jump on the next train to my home dimension. And _that's _hard to do."

"I know it's bad, I'm from there." Liam was growing impatient because Lorne wasn't answering his question. "All I'm asking you to do is to let me know when this woman comes in with Angel." He took a photo of a woman out of his coat pocket and slid it to Lorne. Lorne looked at and pocketed it.

"Alright Angel Junior. I'll do it. But I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do. I'm putting a lot of faith into what you're saying, but when I read you, I didn't see everything. It was like something was blocking me."

"That was me. I drank a potion to block certain things from being read by empaths and mind readings and seers. If the wrong people know what's to come, the future maybe worse than when I left it."

"I can understand that. Just let me know when things are starting to go bad. I would actually like to avoid a confrontation."

"Sure thing" Liam said while getting up and putting a tip on the counter. "Just let me know when you see her."

"Ok, one more thing Liam." Lorne said as Liam was about to walk away. "Actually two. Why did you tell me who you were?"

"Because I knew you would find out if I came to you, asked you for help, and have me sing for you."

"But the potion?"

"Only for certain things, you got what a pretty much told my mother."

"Right, and that leads to my second question. I noticed that there was good moments with your father as you grew older and mother when you were younger. Where's she during all this?" Liam looked away from Lorne as he answered.

"She's not there."

"Is that why you're with her now instead of revealing yourself to your father." Liam didn't answer. He had seen his father, although it was from a distance. Angel and his team were fighting demons in an alley and Liam had been above them watching. Liam had never seen Angel fight in combat before so it was a rare opportunity that he took. His father was a pro when it came to fighting. Liam thought he could take him in a fight, but considering the amount of training they both had, he wouldn't put money on it.

Liam left Caritas and started walking to his car that he found and fixed up from the junk yard. It was an old 1969 Dodge Charger R/T painted in black. If there was anything that he and his father had in common, it was that they both loved Buffy, and they both loved old classic cars. He got in and drove. It had been two weeks since he left Sunnydale and he hadn't called his mother. He knew that she would worry but he didn't want to draw suspicion if someone else picked up instead of her. He planned on only telling Lorne about who he was and tried to follow his rule on secrets. _Best way to keep a secret, keep it to yourself. Second best, tell one other person if you must. There is no third best._ He certainly didn't plan on telling Buffy at all, but she found out when she broke into his apartment. On a level, he was actually kind of glad that she knows. Gives them an excuse to see each other every now and then, but Liam couldn't let that get in the way of why he was here in the first place. To save the future and possible his family if he could help it.

Buffy walked into the kitchen and opened up the refrigerator, taking out a carton of milk and putting it on the counter. Dawn was getting a box of cereal from a cabinet, and Joyce pouring herself some coffee. She picked up the milk and pours some in her mug as Buffy takes out a bowl and puts it down. Dawn picks it up and moves off. Buffy sees her bowl gone, SIGHS, and retrieves another one as Dawn empties cereal into her bowl. Buffy tries to take the cereal box from Dawn and she resists for a moment, and Buffy has to tear it away from her, shooting Dawn a look. Dawn takes the milk carton and pours the last of the milk on her cereal then moves to the kitchen table. Her bowl full, Buffy hands the cereal box to Joyce who puts it back in the cabinet, then pushes the plunger on the toaster. It's all fluid morning routine in this house.

"So, Buffy, what are your plans today?" Joyce asked her. Buffy picks up the milk carton and attempts to pour it.

"Well, Giles and I-" she stops as a lonely drop of milk lands on her cereal. She throws an irritated glance at Dawn.

"Giles and I are making a little magic shop run this morning. Need to pick up some supplies for my new improved training sessions."

"Oh, that's great…"

"Well, yeah, thanks, it's kinda exci-"

"You can take Dawn shopping for her back-to-school supplies.

"What?" Buffy didn't like this idea. Just yesterday Dawn ruined her focus during a training session and had Buffy fall to the ground from a block she was balancing on. Dawn didn't like the idea any better. They argued into the living room until Buffy relented. A Knock came from the front door and Joyce moved to answer it. She opened the door and Riley stood in the doorway

"Morning, Mrs. Summers. You look great." He said politely

"Thank you, Riley." She said. Buffy went to greet Riley with a kiss as Joyce exits upstairs.

"Suck up." She said trying to make it seem believable. She still felt weird having to lie to Riley and everyone for that matter. She didn't understand fully why Liam wanted her with Riley in the first place. He said that it was good for her but she really wanted Angel back in her life.

"What, it's a nice outfit. Besides, 'I'm here to violate your firstborn' never goes over with the parents. Not sure why." He joked to her. They went back to kissing. Once they finished Riley noticed Dawn

"Hey, kid." Dawn rolls her eyes and exits back into the kitchen.

"I'm not a kid…" she responded. Buffy looked back to Riley.

"This is a surprise of the nice kind." Riley looked caught off guard.

"Now it's my turn to be surprised. Thought we had plans today."

"Plans? We planned plans?" she asked surprisingly.

"Well, you said 'come over tomorrow and we'll hang.' Then I said 'kay.' Not the invasion of Normandy, but still a plan. We're not hanging, are we?" he said looking a little disappointed.

"Giles is on his way over to pick me up."

"Slayer training." He said understanding

"Slayer shopping, actually. But it's just as important."

"I've no doubt. Okay, we'll hook up later.

'You're not mad?" hoping the answer might be yes and they get into a fight and break up.

'No, no. I'm plotting your death, but in a happy way." He teased

"Oh good…"

'Buffy, I know what this means to you. I think it's great you've got this new mission." Riley said sincerely. He kissed her on the cheek and exits. "See you tonight. See you, kid!" he caled to Dawn

"I'm not a kid!" she called back.

'I sympathize with you, Buffy…" Buffy was riding shotgun in Giles's brand new red sports car while dawn was in the backseat. As he speaks, he has on classical music.

"I truly do. But I'm certain Riley understands better than anyone the importance of training. You can't allow personal concerns to distract you from your-Dawn." Dawn leaning in from the rear pushing the preset buttons on the car stereo. "Will you please stop fiddling with the radio and sit down." Dawn sits back down with a heavy sigh. Giles accidently put his in neutral again and complained about the automatic transmission. Dawn then noticed Willow and Tara out the window.

"Hey, there's Willow and Tara!" she said.

"Oo, they haven't seen my new car." Giles replied while honking the horn proudly. Giles pulled up next to them as the others get out

'Wow. Sharp wheels, Giles." Willow said complimenting the car.

"The rest of the car's nice, too." Tara joked

'Thank you. Handles like a dream." Giles said. Buffy turned to Willow

"Where you two headed?" she asked

"Magic shop. Had some charms on back order." Willow replied with a smile. They all started walking and talking on their way to the magic shop. When they arrive at the store, they noticed that the lights were off and looked abandoned

"Shop's kinda dark. Maybe it's closed." Tara suggested

"That's odd." Giles said. He opened the door and they all entered. The shop was diffidently dark and nobody seemed to be inside. But it's what happened to the shop the made them all freeze

"Think 'odd' just got upped to 'bad.'" Buffy said. The shop has been ransacked. Books and other items pulled from the shelves and a glass case had been smashed. Willow, wandering near the counter.

"Maybe this happened really late in the night when no one was-whoa!" She suddenly trips and falls to the floor. Tara moves to her. "I'm fine. Just tripped over…" she the dead corpse of Mr. Boggarty, the owner. "Mr. Boggarty." She finished her sentence. Willow scrambles away as Tara helps her up. Buffy and Giles move in to take a look. The face and neck were covered in vampire bite marks. Dawn tries to look at the corpse but her view was blocked

"What is it?" she asked. "Is-Is he okay?" Buffy turns to her.

"It's nothing you need to see, Dawn. Go wait outside." Dawn protested but Buffy takes her by the arm and physically escorts her out. Buffy and Dawn exit the shop.

"You're hurting me. I'm telling." Dawn said. Buffy released her

"I don't have time for this. Just do like I say and wait here." Buffy re-enters the shop. Dawn paces, steamed. She tries to peek in the window. She saw that Buffy and the others were by the counter, looking down, presumably at the body. Dawn, frustrated sighs, turns away from the window, and gasps sharply when she finds herself confronted with a man dressed in a stained and torn business suit and tie; his face and hands are filthy, his hair matted, his eyes… the haunted look of one who's seriously deranged.

"Hey! What are you doing?" he said to her. Terrified, Dawn stumbles back, but he moves in on her.

"Wha-?"

"What are you doing HERE? Can't loiter." He rambled. "No loitering… That's why I'm a cat…Quiet... cat's in the cupboard, but they find you anyway… and it hurts…Please make it stop…" He pulls at his hair, whimpering, then slaps himself. "Shut up! SHUT UP! They'll hear you!"

"BUF-uhh!" Dawn tried to call for her sister but her scream catches in her throat as she backs into a truck parked in a loading area, next to the store. Cornered. The man puts his face right up to Dawn's, holding a finger to her lips.

"Shhhhh! I know you… curds and whey…I know what you are…" he said intimately. "You don't belong here."

"That's odd." Came a voice from behind him. He was grabbed from behind and was turned around and his head hit the back of the truck. He stumbled holding his head and looked towards his attacker. It was Liam. "I was going to tell you the same thing." He stood there protectively over Dawn and pointed in the opposite direction. "Go! Get out of here!" the man still holding his head, left while muttering to himself. Liam turned to Dawn. "You alright?" Dawn nodded.

"Thanks. I don't know what that guy's problem was."

"He's probably drunk. A lot of people act weird when their drunk."

Dawn looked him and noticed the sunglasses on his face and his coat. She remembered her sister describing him one day as she eavesdropped on the conversation.

"Hey, you're that 'cryptic guy' that Buffy was talking about."

"Yeah. That would be me." he said with a slight smile.

"You know, its kind of weird not knowing your name and calling you 'cryptic guy,' Maybe your name can be 'Mr. Shades' since you usually are seen with sunglasses on." she said with a chuckle. He smiled at the thought.

"Sorry, but it doesn't work for me. Maybe something else."

"Dawn?" came Tara's voice from the entrance of the magic shop. Dawn turned around to face her. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah" Dawn answered. "Um…..There was this guy and…" she turned around and 'Mr. Shades or cryptic guy' was nowhere in sight.

"What guy?" Tara asked.

"'cryptic guy'" Dawn answered. "He was here with me a minute ago."

"Did he say anything or do anything?"

"Just got this drunk, who was acting weird to me, to back off. Then he left." Tara looked a little worried.

"Stay right here, I have to go tell Buffy." She said and then went back into the store. The rest of the gang found out what was taken. Some books about the slayer and a unicorn. Tara walked over to Buffy.

"Buffy" she said she turned to her.

"What is it? Is Dawn ok?"

"She was approached by some weird guy before he was led away by that 'cryptic guy' you told us about."

Buffy was surprised. Liam was back and didn't tell her. She will have to talk to him later.

"Is she ok?" she repeated.

"Yeah. She's fine."

"OK. Stay with her till we're done." Tara nodded and left the shop

Buffy left her house later that evening on her way to Liam's apartment after having a heated discussion with her mother about the day she had and having to get Dawn a babysitter. She got Xander to do because he was available and Dawn really liked him. She would go Liam's place then meet up with Riley for patrol. It seemed like ever since she found out about him, they hadn't spent a lot of time together. She really wanted to. She hoped that he call her when he got back, but he was probably maintaining a low profile. She got to his apartment and was about to open it up, when she noticed the mark on the door from where the axe almost hit her. She didn't really want to have a repeat of it so she knocked. There was a silent second before she heard a voice.

"Who is it?"

"It's me." She replied. The door opened a second later and there stood Liam with his sunglasses on.

"Hey. I knocked like you asked." She said to him.

"Thanks" he said while taking off his sunglasses and putting them in his shirt pocket. He gestured for her to come and she entered.

"I heard you were back and you saved my sister from some guy."

"Yeah. Some idiot was scaring her and I scared him off."

"How long have you been back?" she asked looking at him.

"A few hours. A just got settled back in."

"You don't have that much to settle."

"I bought some stuff." They just stared at each other for a little bit before he broke the tension. "Do you need something?"

"What? Can't a mother come and see her own child every now and then? Especially when that child leaves and never calls?"

"Yeah, I guess." he simply stated. "How are things?" he asked while putting his hands in his pockets.

"Great, if you can call it that." She answered. "I'm lying to my current boyfriend who I don't want to be with because I have you with another man, my sister saw a crime scene today and I got scolded for that, and I have to go and find the vampires that robbed the magic shop today and took a unicorn."

"A unicorn?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. Weird hunh?"

"Diffidently."

"So how was LA?" she asked trying to make conversation.

"Good." He said now folding his arms the same way as Angel did. "Saw my friend, got his help, and came back."

"Did you see your father?"

"Yeah. From a distance."

"Why don't you show yourself to him? Why not tell him about you and us?"

"Because he's got a lot on his plate. I don't want to distract him with this yet."

"But you will, right?" He looked at the ground and shifted his feet before answering.

"Yes. I will. But not now." He looked back at her and noticed she had a worried face on. "Is this about Riley?"

"I don't like lying to him. And I certainly don't like being with another man knowing I'm to be with someone else." He sighed at her remark and scratched his head.

"Buffy, you can't break it off with him now. If you do, then he and everyone are going to ask questions. You won't know the answers and people will get suspicious and they might lead back to me. For a bunch of teenagers, your group is really smart. They'll find out about me. We have to keep it as if nothing as changed."

"But when will it change?" she said frustrated. "I can't keep lying to someone for years."

"You won't" he said sternly. "It's just for a few more weeks. Then we can worry about Angel." This didn't help Buffy at all. "If you break it off with Riley, he'll ask why. If you say your still in love with Angel, he'll get all pissed and try to kill him before you can explain the situation. He'll think he has you under some kind of thrall like Dracula has over his victims."

"You know that happened to me last week."

"Dracula?" she nodded back. "Asshole owes one of my uncles money and another one a beating." He said under his breath. "Look" he said turning back to Buffy. "It's just for a few more weeks and then it will be over."

"How do you know?"

"Because I was told it by…." He stopped himself and took in a breath before continuing. "by someone who was there." He finished cryptically.

"Who?"

"Can't say. I just know that it will happen soon. Then we will go and get Angel."

"We?"

"Yeah. I have a feeling that I might not get through to him so I may need your help." Buffy took in a breath. She was going to go and see Angel again and get back together with him soon. She would love that. But the thought that was going to happen in a few weeks was going to kill her and it was starting right now. "You better go and find your vampires before the stuff animals will have to run and ride." At first Buffy didn't understand, and then she remembered the unicorn that was taken from the magic shop.

"Right. I'd better go." She turned and put her hand on the doorknob when Liam called back to her.

"Don't forget to meet up with Riley if you're going to" Buffy had completely forgotten that she was to meet Riley for patrol. She was surprised that apparently her son knew.

"Right, I'll do that." she then left to go on patrol.

Buffy went on patrol and complained about Dawn to Riley and listened with open ears to her complaints. When she got back home, she found out that Harmony was the vampire that had minions and was calling the slayer out. She laughed so hard at it she was brought to tears. But when Xander told her that she was let in by Dawn, the laugher ceased. When Dawn heard what Buffy was saying about her being an idiot and not knowing the rules around the house she left through the kitchen and ran into Anya.

"Hey! Don't!" Anya said as Dawn left through the back door. "Dawn." Dawn stops a few feet from the door and puts her hands to her face, as if trying not to cry. Anya grabs her shoulder, startling her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Leave me alone." Dawn said sound upset.

"I will after you come back inside the house." She grabs Dawn and tries to get back into the house.

"Let go of me." Dawn broke free from her grasp.

"No! It's not safe out here."

"Got that right!" came the voice a vampire that grabbed dawn and hit Anya back into the house. The vampire passes Dawn to other minions, who herd her away.

Xander, Riley and Buffy come down the stairs and find Anya on the kitchen floor.

"Anya!" Xander said kneeling down with Riley to lift her up. Buffy goes to look out the door.

"Oh, vampires took... "Anya began half consciously

"This head wound looks bad." Riley said examining her injuries. "We gotta get her to the hospital." Buffy went to the phone to call for help.

"They took her... " Anya murmured. Xander tried to shush her. "Dawn." She finished.

"Dawn?" Buffy said looking at Anya. "Wha-what about Dawn?"

"She ran out ... they took her ... vampires..."

"Oh god. Oh god. Uh, take care of Anya." She handed the phone to Riley and runs out.

"Buffy!" He calls to her but she just kept on running. She ran as fast as she could to Liam's. not really knowing why. She felt she needed to go to him. She ran down the steps to his apartment and opened the door without knocking. He was there and whirled around taking out his axe and stopped when he saw her.

"Dammit Buffy. I though we….."

"Dawn's been kidnapped by Harmony." She interrupted. This got his attention and he lowered the axe.

"Harmony took Dawn?"

"Yeah. You know her?"

"Not the scariest or most dangerous vampire I've faced, but she takes first place in the suckiest pageant."

"We need to find her."

"I know someone who can help us." He went to get coat and put on his sunglasses and lead Buffy out of his apartment. They went through the graveyard until they reached Spikes crypt.

"Spike. Of course" she said as bangs on the door and strides in with Liam at her heel. Spike was fiddling with his TV when they came in.

"Well, speaking of dishes, to what do I owe this unpleasant….." Buffy hit him in the face before he could finish

"Ow! Bloody hell!" Liam held her back before she could deliver another blow.

"Buffy!" he said and had turned to face him. "Leave this to the gentlemen" he went around Buffy and faced Spike. Spike looked at him as if he new him from somewhere.

"Do I know you? You look familiar."

"I get that a lot" Liam said. "Look, here's the scoop" he pointed a thumb to Buffy. "Sister's been kidnapped by Harmony, need a location."

"Haven't seen her in…Oo! Pretty green paper." Liam held up two hundred dollars to Spikes face.

"Tell us where Harmony is and you get your money." Spike considered for a second before complying.

"Used to have a cave in the north woods. About forty meters past the overpass construction site." He went to grab the money but Liam held it out of his reach.

"You best be telling the truth. I have a certain refund policy that doesn't end well with the person I get money from."

"I'm telling you the truth." Liam looked at him for a second before believing him and handed him his money.

"Lets go" he said to Buffy, turned and left.

"You should have let me hit him" Buffy said as they were walking to Harmony's lair.

"Save your strength for Harmony."

They made to Harmony's lair just as they saw Harmony's minions turn on her.

"Touch me and my sister's gonna kill you." Dawn said to them. one minion smirked and reaches out one finger. He pokes her in the shoulder and laughs. The other minions laugh too. Suddenly the point of a stake shoots through Cyrus from behind. He stops laughing and turns to dust. The minion that had Harmony let go and they both turn, as do the other minions, who are holding weapons.

"Can't say she didn't warn him." Buffy said with Liam standing behind her.

"Dawn, close your eyes." he says and Dawn does so.

"So, slayer, at last we meet." Harmony says sounding all successful and tough.

"We've met, Harmony, you halfwit."

"I'm the halfwit? Um, excuse me, but look who's fallen into my….." she didn't finish as on minion attacks Buffy with a large axe. She ducks his swing and stakes him. Another minion attack and Liam takes out his small axe and chops off his head. Dawn scrunches her eyes together tightly. "Trap."

"Harmony, when you tried to be head cheerleader, you were bad. When you tried to chair the homecoming committee, you were really bad. But when you try to be bad ... you SUCK." During her speech the last minion moves around behind Buffy and Liam. Dawn opens her eyes and sees him.

"Buffy, watch out!" she screams. As the minion was about to attack Liam kicks him and stabs him with a stake that protruded from his wrist and he turns to dust. Liam and Buffy look at Harmony. She laughs nervously, turns and runs away.

"Let her go" Liam said. "She's not worth the effort" Buffy strides toward Dawn, picking up an axe that a minion left behind.

"You are going to be in so much trouble when we get home." She says while striking at the chains with the axe.

"Yeah, well ... I'm telling Mom you slayed in front of me." Dawn retorted.

"Fine. I'll just tell her that you ran out of the house in the middle of the night, that you got Anya hurt, invited a vampire in, got kidnapped..." In the end they didn't tell their mother anything. They simple came home and both went to bed. Liam went back to his apartment and decided he needed some rest. All the while, he though he had a good time out. He had helped save his aunt and slayed with his mother. Buffy was thinking the same thing. She had spent some mother son time with her future child. While it wasn't what she had in mind for an outing. It was a start.

**Ok. Got some mother son time in there. More of that will come. I'll try to write shorter if I can. Maybe even push some episodes together and get closer to Angel coming in. The song at the beginning was **_**Heartland by George Strait**_**. Please review and comment. **


	5. East Come, Easy Go

Chapter 5: Easy Come, Easy Go

**OK. First off, I know there are some similarities between Liam and Chris from "Charmed" and there are, but their back stories are also different. At first they were the same, but I changed it so that they would be different. For instance, (Spoiler Alert!), none of Liam's siblings turns evil. He does have a rough childhood and a rough life. You wanna know what it is, keep reading. I also wanted to delve more into Liam's story so here is a chapter dedicated to him. Enjoy!**

Buffy hadn't seen Liam since the night they saved her sister. She thought that maybe he would at least start talking to her, but he hadn't. The gang wasn't helping at all. She told them how she met Liam while on her way to find Dawn and that he led her to Spike and then to Harmony. She didn't mention his name or where he lived, but that didn't stop the gang from criticizing him and saying they couldn't trust him.

"_He knew to go to Spike and get the information you needed." Riley pointed out to the gang after Buffy finished telling them the story._

"_He also stopped you her from wailing on Spike" Xander added. "That qualifies as bad in my book."_

"_Obviously means that he knows Spike or at least likes Spike enough to protect him" Anya agreed._

"_But he took out those vampires and helped save Dawn" Buffy tried to defend Liam as much as possible but to no avail._

"_He also let Harmony go Buffy." Willow said. "If he was good then he would have killed her. You told us yourself that he took out one more vamp than you."_

"_Yeah" Tara started in. "He could have some plan brewing and needs both Spike, Harmony, and your trust." Buffy couldn't believe what they were saying, but they didn't know who Liam was or even his name so how could they even agree with her._

"_What it is we can't trust him in the slightest." Giles jumped in. "He has not given us any reason for to otherwise. We don't know his name, where he came from, what his story is, what his motives are. For all we know, he could be a demon in human form."_

"_And if he is, we'll kill him." Riley said sternly. Buffy flinched. She didn't want Liam to die and she surely didn't want him to think that he couldn't trust her with his secrets if she told the group to save his life. This wasn't getting any easier for her. "If this guy or thing is trying to get to Buffy, I'm not going to let it happen" he looked and Buffy and she forced a smile to let him know that she appreciated his protectiveness of her._

"_In the mean time" Buffy began. "I think it would be best to allow him to help when he offers."_

"_Are you sure that's wise Buffy?" Giles asked concerned. "For all we know, that could be his plan."_

"_If it is then we play along until we know more. I want to be cautious with this. I don't want to have to jump to the wrong conclusion and not be prepared for whatever is coming. We all have to keep an open mind about him." It was true. She wanted to be cautious, but with what the Scooby Gang will do and what they might think when they see Liam. So far, only Buffy and Dawn have seen Liam in person, and possibly Willow, but only from the back. This secret was going to drive Buffy crazy. She needed Liam to come to the group and reveal only part of himself. Not everything, just his name and a little about his past to gain the gangs trust, or some of it._

Buffy hadn't seen Liam at all since he helped with Dawn. Since that night she had to deal with Two Xanders, Riley going overboard on drugs the Initiative pumped in him, Spike and Harmony trying to get Spikes chip out, and her mother suddenly becoming sick. This was getting to much for her. She didn't know what Liam was doing but she hoped it was for the good of the future. But she also wanted him around and talk to her for a change instead of battling vamps and dealing with apocalypses. She felt like she was dating Angel again. Buffy had gone down to Liam's apartment since that night every chance she got to talk to him, but every time she went and knocked, no sound came. One time she even opened the door but no one was home. His stuff was there so he hadn't skipped town, she hoped. She was walking through the cemetery when her spirits lit up when she saw him walking a few yards away. She ran to him.

"Liam" she called and he turned to her. She stopped just a few feet from him and just stared. She didn't know whether to hug him or hit him. It was Liam that broke the silence.

"What?" he asked with a quizzical look.

"What do mean 'what?" she asked sounding frustrated. "We save my sister, _your_ aunt by the way, and I haven't seen you since. What gives?"

"I've just been busy." He said. "I haven't skipped town if that's what you're wondering. I've just been out a lot."

"Do you know how worried I've been? I thought that maybe a demon got you or you went back to the future with saying goodbye."

"Sorry. I've just been really focused on this event that will happen soon. I want to be able to get to it before the 'point of no return' mark." Buffy sighed and took in a breath to calm herself.

"I told the gang about the night you helped save Dawn. They don't trust you. They think that you are some kind of demon with a motive."

"See. I told you that they were smart."

"Don't patronize me." she took in another breath before she continued. "I want to introduce you to the gang." He just looked at her. Even with the glasses on Buffy could tell that he was giving her that 'are you serious' look. "They're going to keep on investigating anything that will relate to you. If they come to the wrong conclusion or if they find out who you are, which personally I wouldn't mind, because I don't think I can stick up for you and still be me at the same time." He looked past her thinking about it. "Don't make me ground you!" she said forcefully

"Ok, fine." He took off his sunglasses. Wow. That actually worked. Note for the future. "But if we are going to do this, it's going to be on my terms. We can't make it look like you and I know each other."

"That's not hard to do" she said under her breath. Liam ignored it. He whipped around and looked out at the cemetery as if he was looking for something. "What is it?"

"I don't…nothing. Thought I heard something." They both left after that. They both said bye to each other and left for their prospective homes. In the bushes there were three sets of eyes all looking at the place that Liam and Buffy were just at, watching them leave.

"How are we going to do this?" one of the demons asked.

"Just grab him and knock him out. He's a square toes, this'll be easy." Another replied.

"That what you said before he left and your entire unit was wiped out."

"Relax" said the third one. He seemed to be the leader. "Remember what we were told about him. He cares more for his family than himself. All we need to do is kidnap his blood kin and draw him to us. Their lives, for him. We strike tomorrow night." He smiled at his plan, and the three demons left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy woke up the next morning with a plan in mind. She was going to go to Liam's and make a plan for him to show himself to the gang. She desperately wanted t spend more time with her son, even if it meant more demon slaying and research. She also didn't want him to stall and chicken out on this. She knows that she will raise her son better than that. She made her way over to his apartment and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" came his voice form the other side.

"It's me" she said. It seemed like a password into a club house. Every time he was home, he asked. And it was always the same answer 'it's me.' Buffy was getting really tired of it. He opened the door and gestured her inside. "So, do you have a plan on meeting the Scoobies?" she asked sitting on the couch.

"Not yet." He replied. "I don't know how to go about."

"Just come up to us during our next meeting and introduce yourself and say you want to help us. If they ask for information about you, just be truthful but discreet."

"Interesting approach" he said sarcastically. "Just wing it."

"Hey, I'm just trying to help."

"Did I ask for it." he said under his breath but Buffy heard it.

"What!?" she was getting irritated. "I just want you to be in the gang. Is that so wrong?"

"No. But knowing that they are looking into me is. With me there, they might bombard me with questions"

"They won't find anything because you keep your trap shut and you are very cryptic all the time. Hence the nickname, 'Cryptic Guy.'"

"Buffy, I'm just trying to be cautious."

"And what's with that anyway? You keep calling me 'Buffy' and never 'Mom.'"

"For the same reason why I'm trying to be carful in your gang. If I start calling you 'mom' now, what's to stop me from accidently saying it in front of your friends? They can't know who I really am!" Buffy scoffed at him. "You are so stubborn! You're just like your father!" she got up and headed for the door.

"Actually, he said my stubbornness came from you." She didn't stop her stride. She opened the door and slammed it closed behind her. "Damn" he said to no one.

Buffy's mood did not lighten later that day. She trained with Giles and past all the challenges he had for her, but he could tell that something was on her mind. He didn't press the issue when he asked and she simply said 'nothing.'

In a warehouse on the other side of town, the three demons from last night were walking and talking while 26 other demons were preparing for tonight.

"How long?" asked one of the demons.

"Not long" replied the leader. "The slayer leaves at dusk, we will strike when she leaves."

"But wouldn't it be more prudent to take the slayer too? Or at least kill her?" said the other demon.

"No! Our orders are to take Liam alive. The bosses want him for examination. He is unique. We didn't get either of his siblings. He is our last attempt at finding out everything about his existence."

"What about the family?"

"They are of no concern to us. When we have him and he is sedated, kill them." The others grinned at his plan. Tonight was going to be fun for them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One lone demon was positioned outside of Liam's apartment watching. We wouldn't attached any suspicion do to him covering every bit of his body with clothing so that he looked like a normal human being. He felt uncomfortable. Normally he would just stand and be in his own skin, but no. Humans still ruled in this time period. He finally saw Liam leave and he followed. He was to keep eyes on Liam and make sure he was away when the rest struck tonight. He followed Liam down the street and saw him go into an alley. He followed him in and stopped when he didn't see him anymore. He walked more into the alley and was pushed into the side wall with great force.

"You know, it's creepy when someone stalks another." Liam said and grabbed him by his collar. He took off the ball cap, glasses, and scarf covering the demons face. It was ugly, green, and scaly and had black eyes. "What do you want?" the demon simply laughed and Liam punched him. "I'm gong to ask one more time. What do you want?" The demon still said nothing. Liam did not lie when he said that he would ask one more time. He stabbed him with a knife he had concealed. The demon slumped and fell dead on the ground. Liam began to search him for anything that might be useful. When he thought that he wasn't going to get anywhere, he found something on the demons chest. It was a pin of some kind and Liam recognized it immediately. It was a pin with a crow on it and it had the letter WH. "Fuck" he said and through the demon into the dumpster and ran off. They couldn't be here, they couldn't be.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy was getting ready for patrol at her house, she had not gotten better. She was still irritated with Liam for what happened earlier today. All she wanted was to spend time with her son. Was that to much for the powers to give. She pocketed a stake and went downstairs.

"Bye mom, I'm off" she said to her mother.

"Buffy" her mother said and Buffy turned to her. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, just a little frustrated that something didn't happen today that I wanted to happen is all."

"You mean play time with Riley." Dawn said coming in to the foyer.

"No. and it's none of your business."

"Whatever." Dawn rolled her eyes and went into the kitchen.

"Are you sure your ok Buffy?" he mother asked again.

"I'm fine mom. Nothing to worry about." With that she left and started her patrol. What she didn't notice was the 30, or now 29, demons lurking all around her house waiting for her to leave. When she was out of sight the demons moved.

"So Buffy's out again, what do you want for dinner tonight?" Joyce asked Dawn.

"Maybe spaghetti with hotdogs?" She replied with a grin.

"Spaghetti with hotdogs? You try the weirdest foods." Joyce said as she started on the spaghetti.

They didn't notice the demons outside and by the time they did, it was too late. At least five demons came in from both the front and back doors. They grabbed both Dawn and her mother and dragged them both outside kicking and screaming. They weren't any match for these demons though. They were stronger than they were. As they were being dragged away, the leader came into the house and dropped a coin onto the ground and smiled, he then pulled out a phone, similar to Liam's and started to tap.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Liam was pacing up and down his apartment. How could they be here? They didn't know, did they? He wondered what they would do to get him. He heard a buzzing and checked his phone, but it wasn't his phone form this time, it was his phone from his time. He walked over to it and saw that he had an e-mail. But no one knew his email now. He feared for what would show up if he opened it. He did so anyway and what was there shocked him. Three words. _'Grandma and Aunt.' _ And below that was the same symbol that was on the pin of the demon. He ran out of his apartment and to his car. He slid across the hood to the driver's side and got in through the window. He started the car up and sped off to Buffy's house. He hit 110 when he saw Buffy walking in the distance and stopped and skidded to her side. Buffy noticed before he even stopped and back off a little bit to avoid being hit. When she saw who it was driving she was about to scold him until he said,

"Dawn and your mom are in danger." He didn't need to say anymore. She ran to the other side and got in. he sped off towards the house.

"Why are they in danger?" she asked.

"The crows"

"What?"

"The crows are group of demons that serve the power that brings about the apocalypse in my time. They came back for me."

"Then why go after my….." but then it hit her. Easy way to get to someone is to threaten their loved ones. Especially family. "Drive faster."

"No need, we're here." He pulled in to the driveway and Buffy got out before he even parked. They rushed into the house.

"MOM! DAWN!" Buffy shouted but there was no answer. She went upstairs while Liam went to the kitchen. He looked around and noticed the coin on the ground and picked it up. It was a sign. Buffy came back into the kitchen. "They're not here." She said worriedly.

"Because they've already been taken. They want me to give myself up."

"What do these guys want?" he turned to her.

"I told you. They want me. They want to stop what I'm doing."

"We need to find them and kill them." Buffy said with anger. "I'll call the gang and get them on the search."

"That'll only lead to them getting hurt. You don't know the crows like I do."

"Crash course!" she said with even more anger.

"You can't beat them no matter how powerful you are!" he said raising his voice. "They are trained killers. Trained in the art of killing, subduing their targets without a fight, and hitting their targets where it hurts most. They have killed enough slayers to make other slayers fear them. They will kill you, Buffy."

"I'm not going to leave my family to die. That's not me. If you knew me at all you'd know that." He simply stared at her. He did get his stubbornness form her. She was not going to budge no matter how much he talked to her. And every second spent trying to convince her not to go was second wasted when he could be trying to find his family. "I'll call the gang and get them on this. Do you have any information as to where these crows might be?" He looked away and sighed before looking back.

"No" She went over to the phone and started dialing. "What are you going to tell them?"

"Don't worry I'll keep your stupid secret. I'll tell them all that they need to know."

"I'll start looking." And he left. He really didn't know where to look. They could be anywhere by now. He has a good sense of tracking when he had a scent to follow, but he didn't have one. They had someone hid it. Just as he was about to get into the car his 'current time' phone rang.

"Hello" he answered.

"In the desert, 40 miles west of the town. Coordinates are on your phone. Come alone or the woman and brat get it." the caller hung up and so did Liam. He knew where they were. He wanted tell Buffy, but he didn't want her to get hurt. He leaned against the car thinking. After a few minutes he had a plan formed. He got into the car and rove off towards his destination. He was going to make a pit stop first.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After Liam left had left, Buffy had called everyone and told them to meet her at her house to form search parties. If these crows were as bad as Liam said they were, she didn't want anyone out without support. She even asked for Spike to come. Once everyone had arrived, Buffy told them of what was going on while leaving out the details of the future demons and wanting Liam.

"That's great Buff" Xander began. "But it's not much to go on."

"I know but it's all I know." She responded.

"How did you even know that demons took your mother and Dawn in the first place?" Willow asked.

"Not important, we have to find them. We don't know anything about the demons or how powerful they are, so we split into two groups. Me, Giles, Willow and Xander will take the left side of town. Riley, Spike, Tara, Anya, you guys take the right side of town. If anyone hears, sees, sniffs, or feels anything, you let the rest know. I'm not taking any chances with them.

"Why do I have to be here?" Spike asked annoyingly. Buffy simply punched him in the face "OW!"

"That's why. Break!" they all went their perspective routes, not really knowing what they should be looking for.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The demons were escorting Dawn and Joyce by a rock formation in the desert. This is where they came in and it is where they came out. They had the girls tied up and being led like donkeys. They were scared and they didn't know if they would get of this with all the demons guarding them with weapons. Six demons were with the girls with the rest separated into two groups of ten. One in the rear and the other in the front. The leader led in the front. He was smiling a smug smile thinking that it was just too easy.

From the rock formation, Liam saw this. They had past and were about 20 yards out. Liam could see every demon in the dark because his glasses were specially made that way. Night vision and zoom were on and he could see were the girls were. His glasses past over them and they told him they were human. _'Jackpot' _this was going to be easy if he played it right. He brought his zoom to normal and went to the trunk of the car and pulled out a grenade launcher he stole form the army base near Sunnydale. Their security was lousy. This grenade launcher was designed to launch canisters instead off grenades. He flipped open the sight, loaded to first canister, aimed and fired. The canister hit a demon and it dropped to the ground. Before anyone could ponder what had happened, a bright light shined form the canister blinding everyone. It was a flashbang. Liam loaded up quickly and fired another canister before dropping the launcher and running to the demons. The canister fired went in to the ground, stopped and started spinning, letting out smoke. Liam threw another flashbang and it went off. Liam wasn't blinded thanks to his Special glasses. The demons were disoriented and so were Joyce and Dawn. Liam made his way threw the crowd of demons and grabbed the girls. He pulled them out and dropped another flashbang. He covered the girls as it blew. He wasn't going to give these guys a break. They threatened his family. He took Dawn and Joyce away a few yards before taking out his knife and cutting the ropes. Once Joyce regained both sight and sound she looked at Liam.

"There's a rock formation over there" he pointed to it. "behind it is my car. Take Dawn and stare there, understand?" Joyce hesitated.

"Mom, we can trust him." Dawn backed Liam up.

"Ok" she said and they both ran off to the car. Liam looked back at the crowd of demons and saw that they were regaining their sight and hearing. Liam threw one more flashbang. It disoriented the demons again and then he pulled out another canister. This one was different. He made it himself. He pulled out the pin and threw it dead center into the crowd. By now they were all huddled together so this was going to be easy. The canister started to spin and sent out a mist instead of the smoke that was earlier. The demons were still disoriented. Liam took out a cigar and lit it with a match. The demons were regaining their sight and hearing. When they turned towards Liam, they were still pretty out of it, but they were covered in a moist substance that covered all of them and the ground.

"What's the problem guys?" he said as he puffed some smoke. "You guys need to lighten up." And then he threw the cigar onto the moist ground and ran. As the cigar made contact flames erupted and covered all of the demons. The demons shrieked in pain and Liam hit the ground when he heard an explosion behind him. He looked back and that was left were smoldering remains of the demons still burning. Liam stood up, dusted himself off and cocked a smile. He casually walked back to the car. "I love it when a plan comes together." As he approached he saw Joyce holding Dawn protectively as she saw him. "You guys alright?" he asked. She nodded her head. "Come on. Let's get you home. Buffy's worried sick about you two."

"Why did those demons grab us?" she asked.

"To get to the slayer. What else?"

"Thanks Mr. Shades." Dawn said. Liam looked at her and sighed a smile. He would probably have to tell them his name. 'Mr. Shades' was ok the first time. The second time, not so much.

"Yes, thank you." Joyce thanked him.

"Just trying to help." He said before they all got into the car.

"Nice car" Dawn complimented. The sun would be up by the time they made it back to Revello drive. Once they arrived, Liam escorted them both inside to make sure there were no surprises. "Its good to be home."

"Tell me about it" her mother agreed then she felt her head.

"You ok?' Liam asked concerned.

"Yeah, little dizzy is all. Probably from the knight I had."

"Be glad it's not a hangover." He joked and Joyce smiled. "I'd better go. Got places to be, demons to kill."

"Wait!" Dawn said hurrying to his side. "Won't you stay for breakfast?"

"Yes. Why don't you stay? It's the least we can do." Joyce added.

"Thank you very much, but do have to go." He turned as he was about to leave.

"Not even for coffee?" He stopped in his tracks and looked back Joyce.

"Well I never so no to good coffee."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy and the gang met up and were heading back to her house to form a new plan. They hadn't heard anything about kidnapping the slayers family. She even went to Willie the Snitch privately and asked if he knew anything about 'The Crows.' He didn't of course. Now Buffy was really upset. Yesterday had to have been one of her worst's days ever. She fought with her son, her mother was sick, and her family was missing.

"Don't worry Buffy" Riley said putting a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find them."

"But when. It had to be the worst time for anyone to kidnap my family." She replied.

"But a good time for the demons." Anya added.

"Anya!" Xander scolded. She shut up. When they got back to the house Willow noticed the black charge in the drive way.

"Hey, owns that car?" she said pointing to it. Buffy recognized it immediately as the car that Liam was driving yesterday. She rushed in to he house with everyone following.

"Mom, Dawn?" she called.

"In here Buffy" came the voice of her mother from the kitchen. Buffy went in and saw her mother and sister at the island with Liam. She went hugged both her sister and mother.

"Thank god your alright."

"We're fine Buffy" her sister said as Buffy pulled out of the hug and everyone else came into the kitchen. "We were saved by your mystery boyfriend."

"Who?"

"Mr. Shades." She explained while pointing to Liam. Everyone turned and saw him. He was leaning on the counter with a cup of coffee in his hand sipping it. He looked up at Dawn when she referred to him and then looked at the gang. Everyone recognized him due to Buffy's description of him.

"Mr. Shades?" Xander said first. "And here I thought you were 'Cryptic Guy.'"

"Getting that a lot." Liam said to him. He put down his mug and walked over to the front of the group. "Well… I have the pleasure of knowing Buffy and her family, but I don't have the pleasure of knowing the names of her friends."

"Same goes for you." Riley said crossing his arms.

"Probably should have introductions then. My name is Liam." He finally gave his name to the group.

"Liam" Willow said. "That's a nice name. I'm Willow and this is Tara." She introduced herself and her girlfriend. He shook both their hands.

"Nice to meet you."

"I'm Anya" Anya said. She didn't raise her hand to shake his. Liam nodded his towards her.

"Xander" Xander said. "And this is Anya, _my_ girlfriend." He stressed that she was taken in case Liam had any ideas.

"Got it" Liam responded. "She practically has 'Property of Xander' written all over her." Anya looked all over her person for that mark. Liam turned to Giles who gave a him a look. "And you?"

"Giles" Giles said while cautiously raising his hand. Liam shook it but Buffy could tell that Giles was squeezing a little harder than normal. They let go and the last to introduce themselves was Riley. Liam turned to him and they just stood there for a while.

"Riley" he finally said raising his hand. Liam shook it and everyone could tell that they were having a squeezing match. Both didn't seem to flinch at the tightness. They go and Riley crossed his arms again.

"It's nice to meet you Liam" Buffy said and raise her hand too. Liam shook it smiling at her.

"Same" he said.

"So how did you save Buffy's family?" Willow asked curiously. Liam was about to answer when Dawn piped up.

"It was so cool, there was this big flash of light and then smoke everywhere. Then Liam took us to his car and when he went back, he blew up the demons in no time. It was so awesome." Dawn was really excited and Liam looked amused.

"I think some details were left out of the story" he said. "But I can't stick around. I have to go rest. Had a long night."

"Sounds like a plan." Buffy agreed with him. She would let him rest then talk to him about the details later.

"Thank you Joyce for the coffee and your hospitality." He said looking at her. He then turned to the gang. "It was very nice meeting you." As he was about to leave, Riley blocked his way.

"You still haven't told us how you knew where to find the girls." He said menacingly. Liam just stood his ground and shrugged.

"Heard it from a demon." It was the truth and Riley could see it, even with the glasses on. He stepped out of the way and let Liam walk out.

"I didn't catch your last name" Riley called back. Liam turned and smiled.

"Because I didn't give it." Buffy smiled at this. Liam walked out and drove home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that day Buffy went to Liam's apartment. She knocked on the door and they went through there usual routine so that Buffy could enter. He opened the door.

"Hey" Buffy said. "Just wanted to come by and see how you were doing."

"I'm fine" he exclaimed. "Still a little tired though."

"So is everyone." They looked at each other for a minute.

"So what were some of those details that Dawn failed to mention?" he sighed and gestured for her to come in. she sat on the couch and he followed. He gave her the cliff notes version of what happened. At first she was a little angry that he didn't share the information about where her family was when he got, but eased up when he told her why and what he did. She was still mad, but this time she was mad she wasn't there to watch because it sounded awesome to her. She laughed and he just nodded his head. They sat in more silence until Buffy had to go. They were still in that awkward stage of their relationship, but they were getting better at it. Buffy was glad about it. Liam was too, but he also didn't want it to happen.

**Tell me what you think. Any ideas? I'll have one more Liam chapter soon. We are close to him revealing everything to Buffy and them working out their relationship. I also may not update for a bit. School and all, so don't wig out on me. Comment and Review.**


	6. No Place like Home

Chapter 6: No Place like Home

**I'm back. I know I said that I might not post, but here I am. And we are back with the canon. Hoped you like last chapter. This chapter is pretty much the episode but with some Liam put in there. If you want a whole scene of Liam and Buffy, it's at the end. Don't worry, next chapter and the one after that will be Liam centric again, with a little more Buffy and Liam moments. Stay tune. Enjoy!**

Liam was now part of the gang. He was coming to meetings and listening mostly, but Buffy liked having him there. She was spending more time with her son, even if it was only for meetings, research, and slaying, but they still didn't talk at all unless Buffy acknowledged him. And even then, he would just give a short answer and go back to being quite. God, it was just like dating Angel, minus the kissing during patrols. Buffy was glad about that. But unlike Angel, Liam was getting along great with some of the group. First meeting with him, everyone asked him questions. Things tiered off quickly into the 'interrogation' when Willow asked about her and Tara being witches and he told them that he knew some magic too. Buffy didn't know that about him.

"_You know magic?" Willow asked excitingly._

"_Yeah." Liam responded with a grin. "One of my aunts was a witch and taught me some spells. I don't use them that much. I prefer getting up in demons faces and punching them."_

"_Maybe you could join our Wiccan. Tara and I are making our own Wiccan." Willow said excitedly. Tara nodded in agreement._

"_Yeah, i-i-it c-could be f-fun." Tara stuttered. "We r-r-really learn a-a lot." Tara seemed nervous around Liam, but they seemed to be on a good level. _

"_Thanks" he replied. "I'll think about it."_

Giles, Xander, and Riley however, were three completely different stories. Each of them had some reason to not like or not trust Liam. Giles accepted him in the group, but every now and then he would look at him as if studying him and waiting for him to pull out a sign that said 'I'm Evil.' Xander probably didn't like him because he reminded him so much of Angel. Also it could be that Anya liked him and complimented on his attractive dark persona. He was also just being a protective best friend. Riley was probably the worst of them all. He would stare at Liam more than Giles. It didn't seem like he was waiting for a sign, but a movement that was out of line. He was probably thinking that this guy would come in and steal Buffy away from him. That would never happen.

Buffy still wished that Liam could open up to her. It's like every time they get sometime alone together and actually start a conversation, he would say he had to go or she had to go to not draw suspicion. Did he hate her for something? She didn't know. She hoped maybe by having him in the gang more, he could feel comfortable and open up to her. She just wanted to know her son and spend time with him. Is that so wrong? Buffy would sometimes get so angry at her own son that she would take it out on the first vamp or demon she faced. Tonight was no different. She was at some warehouse out on patrol and she was fighting an ugly vampire.

"I've always wanted to kill the Slayer." He snarled at her.

"And I've always wanted piano lessons. So really, who's surprised we have all this unexpressed rage?" She retorted. Buffy punctuates her words with blow after blow, knocking the hulking vampire back several feet. He retaliates with a brutal punch to her face, sending her reeling. She blocks a second blow and wrenches the demon's arm behind his back and flattens him against the fence. "But honestly? I think I'm expressing mine better. Tell you what... you find yourself a good anger management class..." The vampire throws her off but she slams him back into the fence again and whips out a stake. "And I'll jam this pokey wood stick through your heart." Before the vampire can react, Buffy stakes him to dust and slips the stake back into her coat. "I think that sets the world speed record for closure." She says to herself.

"Hey!" she heard. A bright light shines in Buffy's eyes as she turns to see the factory

night watchman approaching. "Miss, if you're looking for one of those rave parties, I'm afraid

you're late. Chased a bunch of kids out of here last night." He said to her.

"Oh, right. Yeah. Darn. My fellow ravers will be so disappointed. It was my turn to bring the Bundt cake." She said to cover up why she was really there.

"You know, if it was my call, I'd let you do whatever you want. It's not like anybody's using this place or nothin'. But they just don't pay me enough to argue with the boss so..."

"Already gone!" She turns to leave but the guard stops her.

"Oh, hey! Hold it, miss. Take your... whatever this is with you." He bends over, picks up a glowing yellow orb and hands it to Buffy, who looks at it curiously.

"Thank you." She aid still looking at what she was just handed.

"Glow balls, huh?" he laughed. "I swear, I don't get your generation. What is that thing?"

"I'll let you know as soon as I find out." She said distractedly. She turns and walks off into the night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX

The next day, Buffy made her mom a special non-instant breakfast for her, but Dawn was able to take some, if not all, the credit for it. Buffy didn't really like how close that her mom and Dawn were getting. It reminded her too much of how distance Liam was from her. When she left to go to the magic shop for Giles's grand opening, she took Dawn with her. Buffy entered the shop later and glanced up at the quaint bell that rang when she opens the door. She strolls into the store, taking in the curios and knickknacks lining the shelves. The store is quiet and empty. She looks up to find 'Giles' standing serenely in the center of the store, dressed in a spangled purple robe and pointed purple warlock's cap. Giles smiles at Buffy cheerily who merely stares him down. Finally, he drops the faìade and shrugs out of the costume just as Dawn bursts through the door behind Buffy, gasping for breath.

"I told you you couldn't ditch me!" she said and looked around. "Whoa... Mr. Giles! This place is so... wow. I mean, check out all the magic junk."

"Our new slogan..." he said sarcastically.

"So when's it open? You know, for customers?"

"Since nine this morning, actually."

"Dawn." Buffy began. "Go. Browse. And…"

"'You break it, you bought it.'" She repeated for the sixtieth time. She started wandering into the recesses of the store to check the place out.

"Still, not to worry." Giles said to Buffy. "No, I've got feelings about this place. Magic's a small niche market but... well, think about it. Sunnydale... monsters... supply and demand. They'll be lining up around the block in no time.

"Yeah. You'll be making money hand over fist." Suddenly puzzled, she holds her hand over her fist. "Which I guess is a good thing."

"You all right? You seem a little distracted." Buffy had a lot on her mind. Liam, Dawn on her mother, her mother in general.

"It's just my mom's still sick and we have no idea what the deal is."

"She is getting medical attention?"

"Yeah. We have a highly trained medical staff working 'round the clock to tell us diddly."

"I'm sorry. Still, you know, time and patience... both great comforts-" The bell jingled and Willow and entered with Riley.

"Giles! Where's your hat and cloak?" She asked excitedly.

"Yeah, the hype was out of control." Riley said.

"Willow!" Dawn said bringing over a few talismans. "You gotta see this. They have the coolest talismens... mans... talisguys. I…."

"Actually, I have a little Scooby-centric deal to deal with first." Buffy said interrupting her sister. Before the she could reach into her bag, the bell rang and Liam entered looking around the shop.

"Wow." He said. He looked at Giles. "You really know how to build up a store Giles. Looks good."

"Thank you Liam." Giles said proudly. "I have high hopes for this shop."

"Just be careful around Halloween." Liam warned him.

"I'll keep that in mind." Buffy looked at Liam and smiled. He just looked at her. She felt a little hurt.

"Ok back to the Scooby related topic I had." Buffy said reaching into her bag and removing the glowing yellow globe. "I put this before the group. What the hell is it?" Everyone stared at it.

"It appears to be paranormal in origin."

"How can you tell?" Willow asked still looking at the ball.

"Well, it's so shiny."

"Found it on patrol." Buffy informed them. She handed the object to Giles.

"May be more where that came from." Riley said joining in on the conversation. I say we go back out again tonight."

"I agree with Riley" Liam said. Buffy was a little surprised. That was a first. Riley gave him a look. "This could very well be connected with some prophecy or cult or something."

"Um... sure." Buffy said. Riley was still out of commission due to his heart surgery and Buffy didn't want him to go anyway. She wanted to spend more time with Liam, but it didn't seem like he wanted to go 'with her.'

"You can't patrol. Buffy said." Dawn said to Riley.

"No, I didn't." Buffy said.

"Yeah, remember? You said it'd be easier if you didn't have to look out for anybody."

"Well, I wasn't talking about Riley." She lied.

"Don't worry about it." Riley said breaking up the bickering sisters.

"Oh," Dawn added. "She just said you look even cuter when you're all weak and kitteny and she'd better go solo or you'd get hurt. So welcome to the club. She'll never let me go either." Buffy was mortified and furious. Yes she said those things, but it was only to hide her true feelings towards Riley and protect him. Giles, Willow, Liam, and Riley looked away, uncomfortably. Dawn finally registers the awkward silence. "What? What?"

"Giles, you got that danger room set up out back? I'm feeling the need for a little physical rehab about now." Riley said. Giles handed the globe to Liam who inspected it.

"Of course, yes." Giles said to Riley. He looked at Willow. "If any customers do…" He began.

"On it." She replied.

"You know what it is?" She asked Liam.

"Not a clue." He replied

"Dawn, we're going." Buffy called to her sister. Dawn knows she's in trouble and heads out, dejected. Willow stops Buffy before she leaves.

"Buffy, wait. Go easy on her." She said to her.

"Why?"

"I can't help it. I just have all this involuntary empathy for Dawn. 'Cause she's, you know, a big spaz." All of Buffy's pent-up frustrations towards Dawn suddenly poured out.

"She's so annoying. Especially now that Mom's sick. She's all over her while I have to be the grown-up and the two of them are like the Giggle Twins and why can't I ever be L'il Punkin' Belly?"

"Ok," Liam interjected putting the glowing ball down and standing next to Willow. "While I don't feel qualified to address the last part, I can't help but overhear your conversation."

"Are you going to take Dawn's side too?"

"I don't take sides, I can tell you that Dawn's not just the youngest, she's the baby of the family and maybe your mom needs that right now. It really helps people who are sick or incapacitated to do something. Just look at Riley."

"Dawn doesn't care what my mom..." she stopped for a second. "You guys just have no idea how much I wish I were an only child these days."

"Actually I think prefer having Dawn around." They heard crash of breaking glass coming from the rear of the store.

"Oops!" came Dawns voice. Buffy winces and looks knowingly at Willow and Liam.

"I really don't think so" she said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX

Buffy and Dawn went home and found their mother in a state of distress. She needed her medication and Buffy went to the pharmacy to get it. She ran into the intern Ben who she met when Joyce was first brought to the hospital. They talked and Buffy noticed the night watchman from last night, strapped down and acting crazy. He warned her that 'they' would get to her through her family and she began to believe that her mother might be under some kind of spell.

At the Magic Box, Giles hands a couple their purchase with a smile.

"Thank you for choosing to shop at The Magic Box and please do come again." Willow was standing at the counter with Liam, both perusing ancient tomes. Giles waits until the couple leaves the store, then bounds over to them, giddy. "Did you see that? Customers! Real, live customers! They came in and I

gave them things and they gave me money and then they left! It's brilliant!" He jumps back to the cash register to deposit the cash.

"Welcome to Capitalist America." Liam said to Giles.

"I gotta tell ya" Willow said. "On the orbular front? We're batting zeroes."

"Well, we'll just have to keep trying." A group of costumers and Anya come in and Anya complains that she has no money. Buffy then runs in, flustered.

"Giles," she said. "I have an idea what's making my mom sick."

"Have you spoken with her doctors?" He asked sounding concerned.

"They won't find anything. What's hurting her- it's supernatural."

"How can you be sure?" Liam asked looking up from the tome he was reading. Buffy picked up the orb.

"The night watchman who found this thing? He went crazy- like overnight." Willow, Giles, Liam and Anya back away cautiously.

"It won't hurt us. I had it on me all night. But this guy, he saw things... he said things."

"Such as?" Giles asked.

"They'll come at me through my family."

"Who will?"

"I don't know... yet. But whatever touched this guy, it made him see through what the rest of us are seeing. He knew someone's hurting my mom and they're trying to get to me."

"It's possible but still... the ramblings of a madman aren't much to go on."

"But madman can see things that normal humans can perceive." Liam said

"Exactly." Buffy said looking at him and then back to Giles. "We need to find out who's making my mom sick and how."

"Then what?" Willow asked.

"Then I hunt them... find them... and kill them."

"Liking this plan already." Liam said with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later in the day, the shop is bustling with customers now. Anya is working the register

and Buffy, Liam, and Willow are at the counter, busily researching. A customer approached Liam with an antique hourglass and Liam pointed to Willow before the customer could ask the question. She then turned to Willow. Giles was frantic because so many people were in the shop and he apparently couldn't handle the stress of addressing them all. Xander reassured him that everything would be fine before helping Anya with her people skills. He wandered over to Buffy and Liam while Willow was utterly failing at gift wrapping the hourglass.

"Did you ever think in a million years you'd miss the high school library?" Xander asked.

"Never been" Liam replied. Xander gave him a look the said that he didn't direct the question at him.

"Someone put a spell on my mom." Buffy said not hearing his question. "Something to make it seem like she's sick."

"That's a new kind of nasty." Xander said. "Any suspects?"

"Well, I've got the list narrowed down to just under infinity." Willow carried the hourglass over to Anya, the wrapping paper hanging off it.

"Does this look right to you?" she asked.

"Sure, if you wrapped it with your feet." Anya replied. She took the hourglass and started wrapping it herself. Willow frowns and turns away. "You know, Buffy, there used to be this French sorcerer back in the 16th I don't know what named…:

"Cloutier?" Giles said coming over.

"So cute in his little knickers. But he had this one spell demons just hated called _tirer la couture_.

"'Rotate many foodstuffs'?" Buffy asked.

"'Pull the curtain back'." Liam corrected her before Anya continued.

"A spell to see spells... well, a trance to see spells, actually, but you get the idea. Try that.

"What do you mean 'see' spells?" Buffy asked.

"All spells leave a trace signature." Liam answered. "It's just not perceptible to the human eye. In this case, it could be the image of a hand choking your mother, or a dark aura around someone being controlled to do evil things." Willow looked at him impressed.

"Or maybe the shape of the demon that's performing the spell?" Willow also suggested.

"Possible, yes." Giles agreed. Anya held up the perfectly-wrapped hourglass, beaming.

"Okay, so I'll do what Monsieur Silk Knickers did." Buffy began.

"Cloutier." Liam again corrected her, she ignored it.

"I'll go home, I'll get trancey and I'll see what's affecting my mom."

"I don't know, Buffy." Willow said worriedly. "Trances?"

"Yes, Buffy," Giles jumped in. "the Sorcerer Cloutier was legendary. His skills at achieving higher states of consciousness were…"

"Better than mine?" Buffy asked then turned to Willow. "I knew he was gonna say that." Back to Giles.

"But I've been practicing concentration skills. I know I'm close."

"Not playing Horseshoes" Liam said under his breath. No one heard.

"Are you ready?" Giles asked Buffy seriously.

"It's my mom. I'll get ready." Buffy answered and turned back to Willow. "What do I need?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy sat on the floor in the middle of her bedroom and dumps out a

bag of incense, powders and other magical talismans. Riley had come along because Buffy was trying to be a caring girlfriend and make him do stuff to make him feel needed. In the end he left knowing he couldn't do anything meaningful. Buffy was partially glad but also sad because she was lying to him and pushing him away. She pushed those out of her mind and started to prepare to ritual. Once she finished, she closed her eyes and began to meditate. The silence is broken by a knock on the door.

"What are you doing?" Dawns voice came from the other side of the door.

"My boyfriend. Go away." Buffy replied frustrated.

"Liar. Are you doing magic?"

"No, I'm not!"

"Can I watch?"

"No, you can't!"

"Oh, come on! Please, please, like times ten and cubed? Please?" Dawn tried to open Buffy's door but Buffy slammed it in her face. "Yeah, well, I can smell your stinky incense down the hall, you know. And your clothes are gonna reek. And if you are doing magic, I am so telling." Buffy folded up a towel and shoved it under the crack in the door.

"Fine! Go! Go tell. Go do whatever you want. Just go!" Buffy said sounding more frustrated. Dawn was hurt. Despite everything, she really wanted her big sister's approval. She turned and walked back down the hall, dejected. She goes into her room and slams the door. Buffy returns to the circle, sits, and resumed her meditation. Night had fallen. Buffy was still in the lotus position in deep meditation, her trance deepening with each passing moment. Her eyes suddenly snap open and she gets up and leaves her room. The house around her appears grainy, sepia-toned, reality slightly altered. Buffy made her way down the hall and stairs to the living room, taking in her surroundings as she goes, the familiar house suddenly appearing strange and new. Buffy found her mother and didn't see anything wrong with her at all. Joyce left and Buffy's attention was suddenly drawn to a family photograph on the wall. It was of Joyce, Buffy and Dawn smiling happily. Dawn's image appeared and disappeared, flickering in and out of the photo like a bad television reception. She found another picture that was doing to the same thing. Buffy approached Dawn's room and cautiously and opened the door. Dawn wasn't there and Buffy walked slowly in. The entire room around her shifted back and forth between Dawn's normal teen girl setting and a room full of boxes and odds & ends: an unoccupied storage room.

"Buffy? Buffy." Buffy turns to find Dawn, angry at her intrusion. But Dawn herself is fading in and out of reality along with all her things. "Who said you could come in my room?"

"You're not my sister." Buffy said coldly.

"Yeah! Like I even want to be related to your nasty self…" Buffy rushed forward and seized Dawn by the arms. "Ow! What are you doing?"

"What are you?"

"Get off me!"

"You want to hurt me?"

"Let go of me, you freak!" Buffy wasn't listening to a word she said.

"Then you deal with me."

"I'm telling mom!"

"You stay away from my mother!" Buffy shoved Dawn against the wall with tremendous force. Dawn stared at Buffy shocked and Buffy stared back, her gaze unwavering. The moment is broken by the ringing of the phone. Buffy went down stairs to answer it. "What?" Giles was on the other line. He told her that the object she found is called the 'Dagon's Sphere' and it was used to ward off ancient primordial evil. Buff thought best to go back to the factory to get answers. She was going to tell Giles about Dawn but Dawn interrupted her. Buffy ended the call and left glaring at Dawn.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy easily snaps the chain on the fence to the warehouse and headed inside. She flicks on her flashlight and starts exploring the musty corridors of the abandoned building. Eventually, she comes across the tremendous gaping hole in the wall and the twisted remains of the tempered steel door. She examines the wreckage with concern. Buffy shines her light over the shattered remains of the blast door, then looks deeper into the room. She sees a monk, semi-conscious and tied to the chair.

"Whoa." She ran over to his aid and starts loosening his restraints. "It was you who planted the Dagon Sphere, right? I got it. Don't worry. I'm stronger than I look." A woman silently approaches Buffy from behind. "I have had experience with stuff like this before. Best of all..." She whirled around and seizes the woman by the throat. "I'm not stupid." she finished coldly. The woman gave Buffy a withering look, wrenches Buffy's arm from her neck and backhands the Slayer with such force that she flies 50 feet across the room and impacts the cement wall so hard she cracks it. Buffy falls to floor and looks up at the woman, stunned at her power.

"You sure about that last part?" she asked with a smile. Buffy was slammed into the cement wall again, face first. The wall cracks under the impact. The strong woman strides toward her and seizes her by the shoulders. "And another thing? I just want you to know..." She slams Buffy into a support pillar and pummels her. "The whole 'beat ya to death' thing I'm doing? It's valuable time out of life that I'm never gonna get back." Buffy tries to fight back but the woman grabs both her arms and wrenches them downward. Buffy cries out in pain. "Wait, I've always wanted to try this. You know that thing with worms

where if you have one, you rip it in half, you got two worms? Do you think that'll work with you?" Buffy slams her head into woman's face and breaks free. She cries out in shock. "You hit me! What, are you crazy?" Buffy presses the attack, hitting and kicking for all she's worth, forcing the woman backward, but her blows seem more to offend her than injure her. "You can't go around hitting people. What, were you born in a barn? Fine. Be that way." The woman easily blocks Buffy's next blow and swings her around into the wall. She sends a blow for Buffy's head but the Slayer ducks at the last instant and the woman's fist punches through the concrete. She picks Buffy up by the throat and holds her there, gasping for air. "I just noticed something. You have super powers. That is so cool. Can you fly?"

She hurls Buffy clear across the room where she lands, dazed, next to the dying monk. Buffy gets to her feet and prepares to engage her again but realizes her priority is the monk. She helps him out of the chair. "Hey! Hands off my holy man!" the woman said. Buffy picks him up and runs toward the window. Realizing what Buffy is about to do, she charges after them. She's too late: Buffy crashes through the window with the monk and tumbles to the ground below.

Buffy helps the monk up and they escape across the parking lot. A cloud of dust roils out of the shattered window above as Buffy helps the critically injured monk across the lot.

"Stop. Please." He gasps.

"No. We have to keep going." She replied. She wasn't going let him die. They stumble across the lot to the chain-link fence surrounding the property. The monk collapses against it, gasping.

"My journey's done, I think."

"Don't get metaphory on me. We're going." She tries to lift him again but he stops her.

"You have to... the Key. You must protect the Key."

"Fine. We can protect the Key together, okay, just far, far from here."

"Many more die if you don't keep it safe."

"How? What is it?"

"The Key is energy. It's a portal. It opens the door..."

"The Dagon Sphere?"

"No. For centuries it had no form at all. My brethren, its only keepers. Then the abomination found us. We had to hide the Key, gave it form, molded it flesh... made it human and sent it to you." Buffy stares at him in shock as the realization sinks in. Dawn is the key.

"Dawn..."

"She's the Key."

"You put that in my house?" she said angrily.

"We knew the Slayer would protect."

"My memories... my mom's?"

"We built them."

"Then un-build them!" she was getting angrier. "This is my life you're…" The monk starts coughing heavily. He's fading fast.

"You cannot abandon."

"I didn't ask for this! I don't even know... what is she?"

"Human... now human. And helpless. Please... she's an innocent in this. She needs you."

"She's not my sister?"

"She doesn't know that." The monk exhales one last time and dies. Buffy is stunned, her life turned upside down. Her sister isn't her sister. How could this have happened? It then dawned on her that there was someone she trusted that could have told her. Warned her even. She got up and ran.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX

Liam was at his apartment reading a book when his door was slammed open. He quickly pulled out his axe and stopped when he saw Buffy striding in.

"Dammit Buffy, how many….."

"Did you know?" she interrupted him. "Did you know that Dawn isn't my sister?" He looked at her as if she was from Mars.

"What are you talking about? Of course Dawn is you sister."

"No she's not." She said angrily. "She isn't my sister. I tried the spell that you suggested and there wasn't anything wrong with mom."

"And this tells you that Dawn isn't your sister?"

"I saw a picture of her and me, and she was fading in and out. I looked into her room, her room is fading in and out. Then I saw her, she was fading in and out. I went the warehouse where I found the Dagon's Sphere and found a monk."

"A monk?"

"He was beaten. Dieing. A woman came up behind me and I tried to fight her, but she was stronger than me." Buffy was practically yelling at this point. "She did all of this to me." Pointing to her wounds. "And I didn't even make a dent in her. I got the monk out and with his final breath, he told me that Dawn is the key. She's not my sister!" Liam was stunned. He couldn't believe this. He never knew. He started to pace, running his hand through his hair. Then stopped.

"Magical construct." He muttered.

"What?" buffy said sounding impatient.

"Artificially human." He said louder and looking at her. "Dawn is a magical construct. Something that is mystically morphed into human form."

"Yeah, got that already. I'm asking if you knew."

"No I didn't know" he sighed.

"How can you not know? You're from the future. You have all this knowledge. How could not know that Dawn isn't my sister."

"Ok first," he said seriously. "She is your sister." Before Buffy could retort he went on. "Science and magic are separate but the concepts of both are the same. No matter what you've seen, nothing can be created or destroyed entirely. It can only be changed. Sometimes you're going to need a little of something else to help with the process." Buffy was getting confused. What was Liam talking about? "You said that the monk and his brothers made the Key into Dawn." She nodded. "They had to have gotten the bones, flesh, and blood from someplace. They got them from your parents, they got them from you." Now it was Buffy who was stunned. Liam stepped closer to her. "They made Dawn out of you. She is your sister. Now you know more about her origin, but it doesn't matter. Now you have to protect her more then you ever have in your life." She just looked at him. His words were true on a level. Dawn wasn't a normal human, but she was human. And Buffy's sister. "I didn't know Dawn was this key thing. But now knowing it, it makes a lot more sense on how she helped raise me."

"What do you mean?"

"At a point in my life, I questioned my own existence. I'm the spawn of a slayer and a vampire. One, a match that is unthinkable. And two, vampires are sterile and slayers don't have a long life expectancy and probably would die during the pregnancy. I'm and impossibility. So is Dawn. But Dawn was the one who talked to me and helped me through it. She probably knew she was the key and came to terms with her own existence. We shouldn't exist and yet we do. And shouldn't matter what your siblings are, they are your family…and should love them." This hit Buffy hard. Dawn and her son shouldn't be here and yet they are because of outside forces. She shouldn't be questioning them, but embracing them. She loved them both. She loved her family.

"What should I do?" she said with tears in her eye.

"Be a sister." He said plainly. "Dawn shouldn't be treated any different. But she does need to be treated like a sister and a daughter. She's family." She just stood there, his words sinking in to her. He was right. No matter what Dawn was, she is her sister and she loves her and she has to protect her.

**So yeah, this chapter was kind of long, I know. Next chapter will be even longer, it will be a two parter, so get ready. Next one will reveal more of Liam's past and Buffy's future and their relationship will be better by the end.**


	7. You had a bad day (part 1)

Chapter 7: You had a bad day(part 1)

**Hey guys. New chapter goes with Liam's story. This is going to be a two parter, fair warning. Now I know a lot of you want Angel to come in, and he sort of does in this chapter. But we are also really close to his actual appearance. Also there is a cameo of someone we all might know. See if you can't spot him/her. Enjoy.**

It was night time at Buffy's house and she had just told Giles about Dawn, the monk, and the incredibly strong woman.

"Uh," Giles began. "I don't know what to say."

"Tell me about it." She said looking toward the stairs.

"She has no idea?"

"No. She thinks she's my kid sister."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"How can I?" she sighed and got up. "She'd freak, and that's the last thing we need." She walked to the doorway and looked up the stairs and sighed again. "We have to keep her safe." She turned and walked back into the living room and sat back down.

"This ... woman, this, uh, whatever she was... she knows you now. Should we be thinking about ... sending Dawn away?"

"Away where?"

"I don't know, uh ... your father's?" she scoffed.

"Yeah, he's, um ... in Spain, with his secretary. Living the cliché." Giles looked sympathetic. "I called him when Mom got sick, he hasn't even..."

"I'm sorry."

"When he bailed on us ... I remember, Dawn cried for a week. Except she didn't. She wasn't there, but ... I can still feel what it was like." Giles put his hand over his mouth and frowned. "They sent her to me, Giles. I think ... No. I know I have to take care of her. I want to."

"Do we tell the others?" She pondered this for a moment. The only other person who knew was Liam and she didn't even tell Giles that.

"No. No one. They-they'd act weird around her, and it's, it's safer for everyone if they don't know." Giles got up and began to pace.

"Yes. We have to find out who this woman is, and what she needs Dawn for." Buffy pondered again. "I mean, if she comes after you…."

"She'll come. She'll come for us." She sighed and looked at the ground. "Yesterday my whole world went upside down. Had to have been the worst day ever."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX

At another part of town, a family was finishing up their dinner.

"Mmmmh. That was good." Said a woman sitting at her dining room table with her daughter and husband.

"Yeah. It was great dad." Said the daughter. There was a sign above the way that led to the kitchen that said _'Welcome back dad'_

"Well," he began. "When you are in rehab, they tell you to replace drinking with another hobby. I took up cooking. I had to be careful though. Some foods have alcohol in them." They laughed. He got up and took the plates from his family.

"Honey, you don't have to clean, you cooked." Said the wife.

"I want to. It's relaxing to me. Now Melissa." He directed towards his daughter. "I believe you have homework."

"But can't I eat your desert first?" she asked.

"Not until homework's done. Besides, you'll get a second helping." At this Melissa gleamed.

"Ok, I'll go. Have my desert ready when I get back down."

"Ok" he said and Melissa went upstairs. She went to her room and pulled out her diary from her desk, sat down and began to write a new entry.

_Dear Dairy,_

_Today was great, dad had gotten back from rehab, completely sober. He cooked dinner and it was the best meal I had ever had. I'm not sure what it was but I know it was French, because dad said something in French. I've never seen my dad so happy. Usually I'd see him drunk and ready to beat on anyone. But not anymore. Today marks the reformation of my family. Today had to be the best day of my life. _

"Aww, ain't that sweat" came a voice from behind her. Melissa shrieked and jumped up from the bed. A man stood there, dressed in black. He had snow white hair, black eyes, and he was smiling at her.

"W-W-Who are you?" she asked scared.

"Have you forgotten to worst day of your life?" he asked not answering her question. "Nobody forgets. Nobody." She went for the door to call for her parents but the man appeared in front of her. "Now where do you think you're going?" he placed a hand on her mouth to keep her from screaming. "Now about that worst day?" she was tearing up at this point. "Let's see if we can't remember now." He raised his hand and the girl closed her eyes and screamed. Her parents heard her and ran up the stairs to her room. When they found her she was in the corner screaming in a crouched position.

"No, no, no please stop." She said through tears.

"Melissa what is it?" her father asked coming over to her. When he touched her she screamed again.

"NO. STOP. STOP. GET AWAY! GET OFF HER!" he drew back not wanting to hurt his daughter again.

"Melissa" her mother came over but she didn't help either. Melissa screamed even louder as if she was seeing something horrible and she couldn't look away. She was crying hysterically.

"Richard call 911!" the father left to call. "Melissa it's ok." But Melissa screamed louder. She threw her mother away from and kept on crying. Her mother left the room not knowing what to do.

"Haven't lost my touch." Came the voice of the man who was standing outside her window. "Let's see if we can't crank it up a notch." He raised his hand again and Melissa screamed as loud as she ever could.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX

Buffy was in the kitchen the next morning making breakfast because she didn't know what else to do. She has all this stuff on her plate that practically no one could help her with. She was thinking of moving back in with her family until things got better. Family. The thought of it made Buffy remember Liam. She wanted him to be like a son to her instead of this emotionally distant person. If she learned anything in her years as a girl and as the slayer, she knew that keeping yourself distant always ends badly. She needed him to help her. He was able, he knew more than she does. He could help. He didn't have to tell anyone about himself, just lend a hand. She thought that's what he likes to do. She thought about going to him and confronting him, maybe even try the grounding card again.

"Whoa! What happened here?" Dawn had come in and saw that Buffy made breakfast for everyone.

"I wanted to make breakfast for everyone. You can take a plate, you can even tell mom you helped or I helped." She had made a plate of eggs, fried and scrambled, bacon, toast, and had orange juice ready to pour. Dawn looked quizzical at her.

"What's going on?" Buffy knew that Dawn was not going to budge, so she told her as little as the truth as possible.

"Mom is sick, there is a new big bad in town I think, and I wanted to apologize again for how I acted."

"You said that already."

"I know. But I feel like I should make up for it."

"Ok" Dawn shrugged, grabbed a plate and started taking what she wanted. Joyce then came into the kitchen and was surprised.

"Whoa! What happened?" she asked.

"Dawn asked the same thing. I just wanted to cook for the family. Dawn actually, kinda did most of the work." Dawn stopped eating and looked towards her sister. She was actually giving her some credit, willingly. Something was up.

"Thank you Buffy, you didn't have to do this."

"I know, I wanted to." With that, the Summer's woman got their food and headed to the living room to watch TV together. The doorbell rang and Buffy went to get it. It was Riley. "Hey you." She said cheerfully.

"Hey" he gave her a kiss and walked in. "I was hoping we could hang out today."

"Well I just made breakfast, maybe we can start there?" She suggested.

"Breakfast aye, what's the occasion?"

"We're still trying to figure that out." Joyce called form the living room. He looked back to Buffy.

"I wanted to help out since mom is sick." She said quietly so that her mother couldn't hear her.

"You are a hell of a woman" he said. "I already ate but I don't want to be rude so…" he left for the kitchen. Buffy smiled a little.

"Buffy you might want to come see this" came Dawn's voice from the living room. Buffy walked in and saw a news report about a dead girl.

"_The police found the girl in her room hanging from the ceiling by her bed sheets. Police are saying that it was a definite suicide but no official report has been given. Although, it has been confirmed that the father of 13 year old Melissa Walker, has a history of alcoholism and abuse. It is reported that the father just got out of rehabilitation yesterday before the girl was found dead. Police are now questioning the man._

"Oh God!" her mother said putting her hand to her mouth. Riley had come in and saw the report.

"It's sad" he said. "we can save the world from demons and apocalypses, but we can't seem to stop all the evils in the world."

"You think the dad did this?" Dawn asked him.

"Maybe. I'm certainly leaning that way." Buffy was too, but something felt off about it. A man gets out of rehab to just kill his daughter or drive her to suicide. Something wasn't right.

"I have to go" she said and grabbed her jacket and left. She didn't know where to start, but she felt as if this dead girl was something else entirely. For some reason, she felt compelled to go to Liam. Maybe he could help and maybe she could get answers from him about the way he has been acting. When she arrived at Liam's apartment, she remembered to knock on the door and wait to come in. They went through the routine and Liam opened the door.

"Hey" she said.

"Hey" he replied.

"How are things?"

"Good, you?"

"Not so much. a girls died last night and I was hoping….. maybe….. We could investigate this thing. Together."

"Anything demonic?" he asked.

"No, but it feels off to me. Like it's different than normal deaths."

"How so?"

"The girl died from hanging herself."

"Ok, that's a suicide." He stated plainly. "Do you know what compelled to he do it?"

"No, all I know is is that the father has a history of alcoholism and abuse, so the police are questioning him."

"History of abuse?" she nodded. Liam closed his eyes and sighed. "As much as I would love to investigate this with you Buffy, we can't do anything. _I _can't do anything. Nothing can distract me from my work. Unless you have proof that outside forces compelled her to do it, it's out of our jurisdiction." Buffy didn't know what else to say. She really wanted to spend time with him, but it seemed like he was avoiding every opportunity.

"Are you sure there isn't anything you can do?"

"I'm sure. Sorry." He turned and went back into his apartment and then stopped. He turned back with a look of curiosity. "Did the man ever go to rehab?"

"Yeah he did. They say he just got out."

"Do you know what he was doing the night of the suicide?" he was sounding paranoid at this point.

"No I don't. Why?"

"Be ready to go in five minutes. I need to change." He ushered her to the door and closed it. Buffy was confused. What had she said to provoke Liam to come with her and why was he changing. She only ever saw him in Angels coat and those sunglasses. Three minutes later, Liam came out in a nice suit and was putting his sunglasses on and holstering a gun on his side.

"Whoa, what's with the heat?" she asked curiously.

"We're going to find out what happened." is all he said before going up the stairs. Buffy followed at his feet and he walked into the parking garage.

"Mind telling me what changed your mind."

"Get in" he got to his car and climbed in. Buffy did as she was told not really understanding what was going on. He drove off and stropped at the police station and told Buffy to wait. He went inside and came out two minutes later with a slip in his hand. "Got the address" he said as he got into the car and started it up.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" she asked again.

"Yes" is all he said and they drove off. They arrived at the house of the dead girl and got out. "When we're in there, let me do the talking. I have more experience doing this."

"What exactly are we doing?" she asked for the third time when they got to the door and Liam rang the doorbell.

"Watch. And don't answer any questions unless one is asked to you." He was being very bossy and Buffy didn't know why. She surely didn't want this to happen when they went out. The door opened up and a man stood there.

"Yes?" he said with a scowl on his face.

"Mr. Walker?" Liam asked.

"Who's asking?" Liam took off his sunglasses, pulled out an ID badge from his pocket and showed it to Mr. Walker.

"Mr. Walker, I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth, this here is my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan." He gestured to Buffy. "We're from the FBI." Buffy looked at him. Liam was posing as an FBI agent and he was dragging Buffy with him. What was he up to?

"FBI. Great. First the cops are accusing me of forcing my daughter to kill herself and now the FBI." He said angrily.

"Mr. Walker, we are not accusing you of anything. We simply wish to get all of the facts from this case."

"Yeah and try to lock me up so you won't have to deal with it anymore." He was not getting any better.

"Honey. Who is it?" came the voice of woman behind the man.

"It's the FBI. There here thinking I killed Melissa."

"Mr. and Mrs. Walker that's not why we're here." Buffy said hoping to help but Liam interrupted her.

"We think that you daughter might have been murdered by a serial killer." This got everyone's attention.

"What?" Mr. Walker asked looking shocked.

"Sir, we have many questions. May we come in?" they let them come in and they all sat down in the living room. The parents sat on the couch and Buffy and Liam sat in opposite chairs. Liam leaned forward and starting asking them questions. "Mr. and Mrs. Walker, can you tell us anything about Melissa that might compel her to do something like this?"

"Um….No." Mr. Walker responded then looked to his wife. "Nothing that I know of anyways." Liam looked to Mrs. Walker who had on a very sad face.

"She..." She began. "She's been quite for along time. Ever since Richard started drinking and becoming violent, Melissa barley spoke two words to anyone. She started becoming happier when Richard went into rehab. But she still was quite most of the time."

"I'm sorry," Liam began. "But I have to ask if you could please tell me happened during your drinking problem Mr. Walker." Mr. Walker took in a breath before answering.

"I was angry a lot. I didn't like my boss. I would come home and immediately start drinking. Some nights I would through a fit and start yelling, blaming Judy or Melissa. Then I started to beat them to let more anger out. It was like that for a while. One night it got so bad, I broke Melissa's nose, gave her a black eye, and broke her mothers arm. I felt so guilty after that. I went into rehab and took the course twice. I didn't want a repeat of what happened." Mr. Walker had tears forming up in his eyes.

"Could you tell us what happened last night?"

"I made dinner. In rehab, I developed a hobby where I cook. I got out of rehab last week and last night was the first night I came home to my girls."

"We saw a different side of him." Mrs. Walker added. "He was happy, cheerful. Melissa was talking more than she did in the past year. It was like the family was back together again." This made Liam shift in his seat. This did not go unnoticed by Buffy. "You said that….Melissa might have been murdered?" Liam hesitated before answering.

"Mr. and Mrs. Walker. From what you just told me, it seems that the nature of your daughter's death fits the profile of a serial killer we have been trying to track down." Mrs. Walker bowed her head and started to cry.

"Why would anyone want to hurt Melissa?" asked Mr. Walker.

"That's classified information, sir." Liam responded. "To further our investigation, would it be alright if we took a look into your daughter's room?" they nodded and led them to Melissa's room upstairs. The Walkers left them alone and Liam started going through Melissa's desk.

"Ok, what was all that about?" Buffy asked. "And what's with my name? Dr. Temperance Brennan?"

"TV show characters from the future. They make a good team."

"What's my doctorate in anyway?"

"Well in the show, it's Forensic Anthropology?" Buffy was about to ask what that was. "Bones. The study of Bones."

"Oh." Liam kept searching through the girls room apparently looking for something. "What are you looking for?"

"What's the one thing that all teenagers have in common?" he asked in response.

"Taste in Shoes?"

"Nope." he found something underneath the bed and held it up. "Diaries."

"You're going to go through a dead girl's diary?" Buffy asked bewildered.

"What? Sounded cold?" She nodded. "Good, means I'm focused."

"Hope I'm never that focused." She muttered to her self. Liam sat on the bed and looked through the pages, skimming each one. He would stop and read a few pages ever so often. "You know that it's a complete invasion of privacy."

"I know. But it has to be done." He read page after page in the book. "Apparently she described her dad's beatings and drunken nights. Not good. Not good." He read more. "Here's something, _'My dad said he was leaving today. He was very sorry for hurting me last night. He said he didn't want to have that happen again. I don't know where he's gone, but I hope he doesn't come back. Last night had to be the worst day of my life.'" _He finished reading and looked up.

"You think maybe his coming back caused her to commit suicide? To not deal with this new dad?" Buffy asked.

"Maybe, but if what the parents said is true and she was happy, she might have written it." he skipped over to the last entry in the book and began to read aloud. _"Today was great, dad had gotten back from rehab, completely sober. He cooked dinner and it was the best meal I had ever had. I'm not sure what it was but I know it was French, because dad said something in French. I've never seen my dad so happy. Usually I'd see him drunk and ready to beat on anyone. But not anymore. Today marks the reformation of my family. Today had to be the best day of my life." _He finished reading and looked up stunned, as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Liam?" Buffy asked but he got up and left the room. Buffy followed. She practically had to sprint to keep up with him. "Liam, what's going on?"

"I have to go check something." He said as he got to the car.

"What is it? What's going on?" Buffy was getting frustrated.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with now. Best you can do is just go and train or something." He didn't even look at her. He just got into his car and drove off, leaving Buffy there.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy was beating the stuffing out of the punching bag in her training room. She was, over the top, pissed. She had to deal with her sick mother, her annoying key ensouled sister, and her distant, secret keeping son. Her life had gone from good one moment, to hell in another. She didn't know what else to do then to beat the crap out of anything. Giles had walked in and saw her beating up the punching bag.

"I'd offer advice or tea, but I don't believe either will help in your current state." He said to her.

"You got that right" she said and kept on punching.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No" she punched one more time and then everything started spilling out. "It's just that I've had one thing after another pile on top of me and I don't know how to take care of it all."

"Well that's normal…"

"Not for me." she went back to punching the punching bag then stopped. "My mother is sick and I don't know why or how to help her." Went back to punching

"That would drive someone up the wall." She stopped again

"Liam, my future son, is being distant from me and keeping secrets and every time I try to have conversation with him, he leaves. And let's not forget my sister is a key and I have to protect her from a crazy strong woman we don't know."

"What was that?" he looked up stunned at what she just said. She turned to him hoping that he didn't hear the second and last part and she only had to repeat the last part.

"My sister is a key and I have to protect her?" she answered hoping it was correct.

"No, before that."

"My mom is sick and I can't help her?" trying to avoid what he was looking for.

"No" he said impatiently "in the middle." She just stood there. "Liam…..IS your son?" She took in a breath and sighed,

"Yeah. Liam is my son from the future." Giles just stood there perplexed. He took off his glasses and began to clean them, then placed them back on. Buffy began to explain everything to Giles, Liam's mission, how she found out, what his current known plans are, and the fact that Angel is his father. They had moved from standing to sitting on the couch on the wall. Buffy was facing Giles, but he was staring wide eyed into deep space trying to comprehend everything that Buffy just said. "And then he just left me there. I don't even know what he's doing or what's going on. He apparently is very interested in this girl's death." Giles got up and began to pace. "I know this is a lot to take in."

"You're bloody well right." Giles said sounding frustrated. "If what you are saying it true, then the woman that you faced, Dawn, the key, all of it. I-I-It's small compared to what you have just told me. For the future to be so bad that your own son would defy all the laws of magic to travel into the past to fix it, i-i-is so risky that….." Giles started to pace again. "You should have told me Buffy." He said under his breath. "You didn't trust me enough to tell me something that could very well be critical to saving our very existence." He was getting more frustrated by the minute.

"It wasn't my secret to keep Giles. Liam told me that if anyone else new then it might get out and evil will find out and they would torture him for information so that the future could be worse." Giles stopped pacing again, faced her and sighed.

"Has told you anything about the future?" he said calmly as possible.

"Just that it's bad. He hasn't really told me anything on anything for that matter. Every time I tried to have a conversation with him, he would blow me off."

"Well that's just rugged, coarse. It's just plain rude. No child should push their mother's away when their trying to make an effort. Do you know why?" she just gave him a look. "Right. Perhaps I should go and talk to him. Man to man."

"No." she got up form the couch and went to him. "If he knew that I told you, he won't trust. He will never talk to me."

"Buffy he's not telling you anything. He practically doesn't trust you now. And I think I can convince him to start, at least, open up to you."

"How?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX

Giles went to Liam's apartment and banged on the door. Buffy had told him about her second trip there and he didn't want firsthand experience in it.

"Who is it?" came Liam's voice from the other side.

"Rupert Giles" he stated.

"Go away."

"Liam I'm not leaving until we talk."

"How did you find me anyway? No one knows where I live."

"Your mother does." This caused Liam to hesitate before answering.

"My mother's dead"

"Maybe in your time, but she is very well alive now and she is very worried about you. Buffy told me everything. If you don't open up, I will come in." Giles stood there for a second and was about to kick down the door when it opened. Liam stood there looking angry. He didn't have his sunglasses on and Giles saw his eyes for the first time. He was a perfect blend of both Buffy and Angel. She was right.

"Buffy told you." He said angrily.

"Yes. And she is concerned." Liam scoffed and walked back into the apartment with Giles following. "You're not talking to her, you're distancing yourself from her. She believes that you hate her for some reason." Liam said nothing. "All she wants is to get to know her future son. She wants to spend time with you. Is that to much to ask from you?" Giles said raising his voice. Liam spun around and faced Giles with a murderous expression.

"Why don't you stay the fuck out of my way as I try and do my job?" He said in a low voice. "You don't anything about me or my life. NONE." He said the last word with venom. "As for Buffy, she's got enough on her plate. She doesn't have to deal with my problems."

"Your problems are her problems." Giles countered. "You are her son. If you knew anything about her, you would know that she places family and friends above all else."

"You don't think I don't know that? Where do think I adopted it from? I'm in the family business. I'm currently right now trying to let a family rest after their daughter died while juggling my other job. And apparently they have crossed."

"What do you mean?" Liam sighed before answering.

"I know who killed that girl on the news."

"The one that committed suicide?"

"Yes. She did commit suicide. But where I come from, it's murder."

"Who?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

"Pessimus Die" Liam and Giles had gathered everyone at the summers home to tell them about the murdered girl.

"Worst Day?" Willow asked.

"Yes, it's in Latin." Giles stated.

"He's a very powerful warlock. No one knows his real name." Liam had begun. "All I know is is that he was abused as a child by his father. His mother died when he was young. He delved into the black arts and started to make people see all the worst days of their lives. Making them relive every moment, everything they felt during that time. Anything to make them go over the edge."

"Go over the edge?" Tara asked.

"Make them commit suicide." Riley finished.

"Exactly." Liam continued "The only thing that will make the pain go away. The only other way to stop it is if Pessimus was killed. But with his powers he can have you on the ground screaming for mommy and daddy in a minute."

"So how do we stop him?" Buffy asked looking concerned. Liam hadn't made eye contact with her since he arrived.

"We'll divide into search parties and start scouring the town for him. Hit the demon bars and local haunts for this guy."

"How do you know him?" Riley asked. Everyone turned to Liam for an answer. Liam just looked back at him.

"He was mentioned in one of the watcher diaries" Giles came in and saved Liam from answering.

"He's very dangerous," Liam continued. "We go in groups of three, divide the strongest among us. At best, Pessimus will be able to have two of us on the ground. The third will deliver the finishing blow. But if you have to, run."

"Way ahead of ya 'Cryptic Guy.'" Xander piped up. "That might just be my plan."

"What does he look like anyway?" Anya asked. "I've never heard off him."

"You don't hear anything if there's no one to tell the story." Liam answered.

"Except one watcher." Xander corrected.

"He dresses in black and has snow white hair, with black eyes. He's arrogant, he'll talk about your worst's day's. That's how you'll know it's him."

"Alright," Buffy took charge. "Xander, Anya, and Spike are in one group."

"Why do I have to be in a group with him?" Spike said pointing to Xander and Buffy glared, daring him to say more. "Right."

"Where do you want me?" Riley asked.

"Home. Your still healing."

"He's able Buffy." Liam said. "Let him go."

"Fine. Riley, you'll be with Tara and Willow. I'll be with Giles and Liam. Everyone know there groups?" everyone nodded. "Then let's go." The first two groups mentioned left while Buffy, Giles, and Liam stayed. She then turned to Liam and crossed her arms. "So what's the real truth?" Liam bit his lip.

"He's the leader of 'The Crow.' He's here for me."

"I thought you took care of them."

"Doesn't mean that more wouldn't come back. Assuming that he's here, his resources are probably exhausted in the future. He's taking me himself."

"You knew that they would come back."

"I didn't know it would be this soon. But it could be good for us."

"How?" Giles asked.

"Pessimus doesn't tell anybody what he does until it's done. Keeps his superiors from saying 'no.' He usually get's the job done. If we kill him, then no one will know what happened to him and we'll be safe for now."

"So how do we find him?" Buffy asked.

"Well…..you don't have to look that far." Came a voice from behind Liam. They all turned and there stood a man dressed in black with snow white hair, black eyes, and a devilish grin.

"Pessimus." Liam said.

"Liam. It's good to see you again. Last time I saw you, I told you to go kill those 'White Hats' that are trying to stop our bosses work. And yet…to my surprise" his voice was getting louder. "you saved them." He was throwing his arms in the air. "You were a double agent and tricked us." He started to chuckle. "Well played. And I thought I could trust you."

"Well we all know about trust and evil." Pessimus looked at him curiously. "They never go together."

"And yet, by following that, we've managed to almost completely send this dimension to hell in the future. Although, there are some…..minor problems. But they can be handled with. You on the other hand, are our only real threat."

"I'm touched" Liam said sarcastically. Pessimus looked behind Liam to Buffy and Giles who were standing, ready to fight if needed.

"I see you've been acquainted with the current slayer of this time. Does she know who you are?" Liam didn't say anything. "I'll take that as a 'yes.'" He chuckled some more and wondered passed Liam to Buffy. "I wonder what….Horrible days you've experienced."

"You stay the fuck away from her." Liam stated turning Pessimus to him and grabbing his collar. Pessimus just chuckled some more.

"You care for her. I understand. I cared for my mother too, but she's dead. Just like yours will be if you don't agree to come back." Liam let go of his collar but still stood in his ground.

"Never."

"Your choice." Pessimus punched Liam and sent him flying in to the foyer, breaking the double French doors. Buffy went to tackle Pessimus but stopped when he raised his hand to her. All of a sudden Buffy could see all the horrible memories flash before her eyes. Her parents fighting, her parents divorcing, Merrick dying, all of the innocents that she couldn't save, Angelus coming out and torturing her, her killing Angel, Angel breaking up with her, Angel leaving her at graduation, her finding out that Dawn is the key. Everything went through her head and she saw it all. She felt it all. It was like watching a horrible movie and being unable to turn it off and close your eyes. She dropped to her knees and started tearing up.

"No…NO…NO….STOP." she screamed. Giles went to help but Pessimus got him too. He saw of some of his horrible days as Ripper, Jenny's body in his bed. He fell to his knees and grunted. He was better at holding back tears, but some started to form.

"Never gets old" Pessimus gloated. Buffy screamed more.

"STOP!" Pessimus looked and saw Liam standing. His sunglasses were off and he had fire in his eyes. "Stop and I'll go!" Liam couldn't bare to see his mother in so much pain. Pessimus smugged a smile and lowered his hands. Buffy and Giles lay on the ground panting, the memories now gone from their eyes, but not from their minds.

"Couldn't stand it could you" Pessimus said. "Your weakness has always been your family."

"Yeah. But one of my strengths is my head." Pessimus didn't understand. "In order for our future to come about, this slayer has to be alive. Kill her now, it all changes." Pessimus looked at Buffy who was sitting on the ground watching.

"Maybe so." He said. "But I'll still be me." And with that he raised his hand to Liam and Liam caught the curse. He stumbled back, eyes closed, holding his head.

"No…no…stop" he begged.

"The future may not be written in stone boy, but memories last a life time" Liam was on the ground trying hard not to scream and fight through the curse, but it was no use. He saw every bad moment in his life, and he couldn't help himself.

"No…NO…NO…MOM, MOMMY" he screamed and cried as he saw the memory of his dead mother lying motionless one the ground as a child, his father turning to dust as an arrow pierced his heart from the window on his sixteenth birthday, him with the gang standing before three graves, one saying 'Connor Angel,' his sister falling dead in front of him with a knife wound to the heart, Angelus chuckling as he tortured him and his sister in their early teens. A woman bending down as he stared at his mother's body saying, _'You will suffer like me.'_ He withered on the ground as the memories came flashing back to him. All the hurt and pain, came back ten fold. Buffy got up and ran towards Pessimus, but he shot both here and Giles, who was getting a weapon, and they both fell to the ground seeing every one of their horrible memories. Pessimus laughed as he tortured the family in front of him. Liam screamed as he experienced his memories over and over again. Then he experienced one horrible memory when he was 15. Angelus was torturing him and his sister and he was chuckling.

"_You're weak" Angelus said. "You're weak because soul boy made you weak. Now if I was in control, you would be strong right about now. That or dead, I don't care. But you see," he said while crouching down to Liam. "I'm always strong, because I, unlike Angel, don't thrive on emotions. I just have fun. I do what I want, because I can. Now, soul boy was in control when you were conceived, but I was also there. Which means, there's a little bit of me in you. The part that has no emotions….." _Liam was gritting his teeth. _"The part that doesn't get distracted by pointless love…"_ He was still withering, wanting it all to stop. They all did. _"The part in you that is a soulless monster. The one that makes you who you really are"_ Liam couldn't take it anymore. _"A demon."_

Liam opened his eyes. He could still see the memories go before him, but they seemed smaller then did. He had tapped into his inner demon. Something he didn't want to do ever, but had to be done. This was his chance. He got up and faced Pessimus. Buffy and Giles were still screaming and withering. Pessimus looked confused. He shot another blast of the curse to Liam and Liam closed his eyes. He fought through the curse and started to walk towards Pessimus. Pessimus started walking back and used both hands for the curse at Liam. Liam shut his eyes again and stumbled back. The memories growing stronger. But he pushed them away, gritted his teeth and walked towards Pessimus again, taking out his knife and axe. Buffy and Giles had stopped screaming and looked at Liam who had a flash of yellow in his eyes. Pessimus used up the magic he had left and Liam saw every memory worse than before but kept on going.

"How can you resist?" Pessimus asked. Liam got to him and stabbed him with his knife.

"I'm used to them now." He whispered into his ear and threw him onto the coffee table. He picked him up and through into a chair and broke it. He picked him up again and threw him into the double French doors, breaking them even more. He picked him up again and threw him back into the living room on to his back. Liam walked over to him and stood. Pessimus was helpless as Liam started stabbing him with his knife and chopping at him with his axe. Grunting with each blow. Pessimus was long dead after a few blows but Liam kept on chopping. Buffy gathered herself together, walked over to Liam and tried to calm him down.

"Liam" she tried to grab his hands but they kept on delivering blows. "Liam….Liam it's over." Liam was slowing down now, tears forming in his eyes, and his grunts were turning into sobs. Buffy finally managed to grab hold of his hands and made him drop the weapons to the ground. Liam just sat there and started to cry. Buffy knelt next to him and he turned to her with glistening, red, puffy eyes.

"I'm sorry" he sobbed." I'm s-s-sorry mom. I didn't mean too." He was crying like Buffy had seen Angel cry after coming back from hell. "I'm sorry that I got you killed. I didn't mean too." He sobbed even more. Buffy pulled Liam into a hug and he cried into her shoulder. Buffy just sat there holding her crying son with tears in hers eyes. Giles stood up just staring at the pair, tears forming in his eyes as well.

After a while Buffy took Liam home and Giles offered to clean up the mess in the living room. He took the body of Pessimus out into the backyard and with the broken furniture that wasn't fixable, lit a pyre with the body in it. He went back into the house and started cleaning up. Though at a rather slow pace. The memories of Jenny and his Ripper days felt so fresh to him as if they happened yesterday. He was so deep into thought that he didn't hear Joyce, Dawn, and the rest of the gang come in. They saw the wreckage and were stunned.

"Giles what happened?" Willow asked first.

"Pessimus was here." He said solemnly.

"Is Buffy ok?" Riley asked in an instant.

"She's fine, I believe. Though we didn't talk about our experiences."

"What does that mean?" Xander asked.

"Pessimus was a little more powerful then we original presumed." He took off his glasses and begun to clean them. "He had all of us experiencing are most horrible memories." Everyone in the room froze. They knew that Giles had some bad memories, but Buffy had to have been the worst. Giles put his glasses back on and continued. "Liam somehow broke through the curse and Pessimus used all of his magic and concentration on him. Buffy and I saw that Liam was in pain and was getting worse. But he got to Pessimus and killed him. He then broke down."

"Buffy?" Joyce asked concerned.

"She offered to bring him to his place. I don't know when she'll be back."

"Is she ok?" Dawn asked caringly.

"I'm not sure."

"How are you?" Tara asked him.

"I'll need sometime. It's not everyday you experience your worst days all at once."

"Would you like some tea?" Joyce offered.

"That would be lovely." Giles got up and started to walk with Joyce to the kitchen. "And don't worry about the ruined furniture; I'll take care of it."

"Oh, you don't have to do that Rupert."

"I know, but I want to. I feel a bit responsible."

"Well, thank you." She said with a smile.

"We'll clean up in hear." Willow said and everyone else started picking up ruined pieces of furniture and glass. "Poor Buffy. I can't imagine what she's going through."

"Just as long as she doesn't leave again." Xander said.

"Again?" Riley asked.

"After she killed Angel." Willow answered. "She left for three months, not being able to handle everything that happened."

"When she got back, we didn't really help." Xander said. "We sorta yelled at her for leaving, nearly caused her to leave again. Not the smartest thing we've done, but so was leaving."

"But she had to do it." Riley said. "I mean, you all said that Angel was going to end the world."

"But it wasn't him." Willow said. "It was Angelus. Angel came back at the last minute. And besides, could you kill the love of your life to save the world and be ok with it?" Riley just looked at the ground. Not knowing how to respond to that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Buffy got Liam into his car and drove it to his apartment. The whole ride over Liam didn't stop crying. When they arrived, Buffy escorted him to his apartment and once inside took his coat and shirt off because they had blood on them and then proceeded to clean his face. As she cleaned him she saw her cross necklace around his neck. All the while, Liam cried. As Buffy did all this, she fought back tears. She couldn't stand to see her own son in so much pain. As she left to wash the blood off of the wash cloth, Liam got up, went to his bag and pulled out his 'future' phone and a stand. He place them both on the bedside table and plugged them in. He hit play and a song started to play.

_Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay. Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay._

He stood there as the song started to play and Buffy felt as if he needed time alone. As she was about to leave Liam called to her.

"Stay with me." he said through his tears. Buffy turned and saw the hurt and pain in his eyes. "Please" he breathed and she nodded. Liam went to the bed and sat down crying. Buffy went and sat next to him. They lay down together, Liam holding Buffy and resting his head on her chest and Buffy held him while petting his hair as the song played.

_Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby_

_Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay _

_And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow_

_Bless you with love for the road that you go_

Liam just laid there crying into Buffy's chest, soaking her shirt with his tears. She was crying to, but she managed to hold back a lot of it.

_May you sail fair to the far fields of fortune_

_With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet _

_And may you need never to banish misfortune_

_May you find kindness in all that you meet_

_May there always be angels to watch over you_

_To guide you each step of the way_

_To guard you and keep you safe from all harm_

_Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay_

At this point, Liam had settled down but was still tearing up. Every time Buffy moved, even an inch, he would hold on to her tighter. Not wanting to let go.

_May you bring love and may you bring happiness_

_Be loved in return to the end of your days_

_Now fall off to sleep, I'm not meaning to keep you_

_I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li, lai-lay_

_May there always be angels to watch over you_

_To guide you each step of the way_

_To guard you and keep you safe from all harm_

_Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay_

_Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay_

_Loo-li, lai-lay_

As the song ended, both Liam and Buffy had fallen off to sleep in each others arms. Tears still coming down, but not as much. Neither one stirred throughout the night.

**So yeah. Liam feels responsible for Buffy's death in the future and everyone of his family members dies in front of him. Sad right? The song played is **_**Sleep song by Secret Garden**_**. I came across it while finding an Irish lullaby and loved it. Next chapter will be even better. Comment and review.**


	8. You had a good day (part 2)

Chapter 8: You had a good day (part 2)

**Hey guys. Ok this s a continuation of last chapter and picks up right where it left off. This chapter delves more into Liam's past and his and Buffy's relationship. Yes, he is really a lot like Chris from "Charmed" but wait until you read this, then you'll see some differences. Enjoy.**

The clock on the bedside table of Liam's apartment and it read _5:59 A.M_. In the bed lay the sleeping figures of Buffy and Liam, holding each other. They were both fast asleep and neither one moved from the position since they got into it. There were tear marks on both of there faces and Buffy's shirt was a little moist from where Liam had been crying. The alarm went off at _6:00 A.M._ which made both of them stir. Liam rubbed his eyes with his free hand and went to turn off the alarm. It took both of them a second to realize what the sleeping arrangements were. They both looked at each as the memories of last night came back to them. They had experienced their worst days which would make a person have nightmares last night, but neither one did. They both felt safe in each others arms. Buffy was about to crack a smile when…

"You better go." Liam said sitting up. Buffy felt hurt. "If you stay any longer, your friends will send out search parties for the both of us. And they will probably treat me with unkindness." Buffy understood. She just hoped that maybe he would at least smile at her or thank her for helping him through a tough time. He got up and headed the little kitchen and started to make coffee. Buffy got up after a second and grabbed her things. "Thank you." He said softly before she was at the door. She turned around and he still had his back to her. Then she cracked a smile.

"Your welcome." She said softly and left. Liam leaned on the counter, the events playing in his head. Last night was the first night in a long time he slept peacefully. He too cracked a smile. Then he remembered something he had to do.

Buffy walked back to her house slowly. She was glad she could be there for Liam, but hurt that he still wasn't opening up to her. She didn't know what to do. Maybe last night with Pessimus was too much for him and needed space? Buffy understood that, but he could have at least told her. She got back to her house and entered. She wasn't tired at all but she did feel hungry. She went into the kitchen and started making herself cereal. Not really wanting to do any more work. She was still a little shaken form all the bad memories.

"Buffy?" she heard a voice behind her and she turned to face Giles looking at her sleepily. "You're here."

"Yeah" she replied dully. "I just got in. Did you sleep here last night?"

"Your mother offered. It seemed that after last night's events, she felt that I needed to be among friends. She was right." Buffy smiled at him. "Are you alright?"

"Not really. It's not everyday that you experience your worst days of your life in one big bundle."

"Tell me about it." she smiled again. "How's Liam?"

"Ok I guess. He didn't say much to me when we got up this morning."

"What happened after you left?" Buffy began to tell Giles everything that happened last night and what happened this morning. Wasn't that long. "And he just told you to leave? Just like that? With out even a word to you?" Giles wasn't happy about Liam's behavior at all.

"Well…He said 'thank you' to me before I left so that's something." Giles seemed to soften up.

"I guess that's true. He might be dealing with a lot more than what we are. After all, he did say that he got you killed in the future."

"Yeah. Part of me wants to know what happened. Another part wants to just leave it be because the information could be dangerous. Least I know that he doesn't hate me."

"Well I guess that is something." Giles said as Joyce entered and she saw Buffy with Giles.

"Buffy." She went to hug her oldest daughter. "Rupert told me what happened" she pulled out of the hug. "Are you ok?"

"I'll be ok mom. I just need sometime to get through it all."

"Are you sure? It sounded pretty bad."

"I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you anyway."

"I'm better knowing that you're alright." She put some hair behind Buffy's ear just staring at her. "How's that Liam fella?"

"He'll be ok." Buffy went finish her cereal as Giles went go make breakfast for the rest of the family. Buffy was watching TV later that morning when the doorbell rang and she went to go answer it.

"Buffy!" came Willows voice after Buffy opened the door. Willow hugged her after she opened the door. The entire gang had gathered together and came over to Buffy's to see if she was alright.

"Hey Buffy." Said Riley as he came in and bent down for a kiss and a hug after Willow let go.

"Buffster." Xander was next to hug.

"Are you Ok?" Willow asked.

"I'll feel a lot better if we weren't all in the foyer." Buffy said. They all realized the cramp-ness of the foyer and moved to the now more opened living room. Buffy sat in the remaining chair while the rest either stood or sat on the couch.

"How are you Buffy?" Riley asked.

"A little sad. I experienced every bad moment I ever lived." She took a breath. "But I think I'll be ok. I just need sometime."

"Of course Buffy." Xander said. "Just as long as you don't leave us again. Don't think we can handle another three months without the slayer." Buffy just gave him a look. He shut up.

"How's Liam?" Tara asked.

"He's…."Buffy began. "He's getting through I guess. We didn't really talk."

"So you didn't get anything from him?" Riley asked. Buffy knew what he wanted. He wanted to know more about Liam. But Buffy wouldn't tell him or any of them anything.

"No." she said. It pretty much was the truth. They took it, but Buffy felt as though she needed to know more. She did. She needed to know more. She was going to give Liam sometime and then go to him later today.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X

Buffy went to Liam's later that morning and knocked on his door. She waited for him to answer but he didn't. She wasn't going to stand for it. She opened the door and entered. Liam wasn't there. She walked in a little more and looked around. His stuff was here and a fresh cup of coffee was sitting on the coffee table and his coat was lying on the couch. He hadn't been gone long and it looked like he was going to come back. She decided to wait for him. She looked to the bed and remembered her comforting him the night before. She also saw a stuffed animal of sorts on the bed that she didn't notice the other times she was here. She went over to the bed and picked it up. It was a little stuffed blue bear. Buffy remembered seeing this same one in a picture of her and Liam when she snooped through his things. She heard the door close loudly and she turned around startled. Liam stood there in his suit that he wore yesterday with the jacket in his hand and his tie undone and the top button unbuttoned. Buffy squeezed the bear gently.

"Liam, you scared me" she said.

"Thought you would be used to being snuck up on" he said with a little grin and drops the jacket and tie on the coffee table. "Just dropping by for some quality time with Mr. Azul?"

"Excuse me?" she said confused.

"The Bear." He said pointing to the stuff bear in her hands.

"Oh" she chuckles, remembering that something like this happened with Angel and Mr. Gordo. "I, uh…" she repeated his words to him. "What's with the suit?"

"I went by the Walkers this morning. I told them that the man that killed their daughter was dead. Thought it might bring some peace to them."

"Oh, that was nice of you."

"What's up?" he said putting his hands in his pockets.

"Nothing." She tossed the bear back on the bed.

"You don't have a nothing face. You have a something face." Buffy hesitated.

"I think we should talk. About last night." She clarified. Liam looked down a shifted his feet.

"About what exactly?" he asked looking at her again.

"Liam….You saw something's. Said something's. I'm worried. And I know what being in this situation is like. I've been there. You can't just bottle up everything. You need to talk to someone about it." Liam took his hands out his pockets, grabbed the coffee from the table and walked to the kitchen

"I saw a lot of things. Things I don't really like talking about."

"Don't do this." Buffy said angrily. Liam turned to her a little shocked. "Don't do this. I've known who you are for over a month now. And in that time I have learned shit about you. You have distanced yourself from me. You've run out on me. You only show yourself when something terrible is happening." She was getting louder and tears were staring to form in her eyes. "All I want is to know who my son is. You don't have to tell me about the future, just about you. Is that too much to ask?" he looked at the ground as she continued. "After last night, you cried, and I comforted you. I thought you would at least appreciate that but you don't. Again you pushed me away. I just want to know you. Spend time with you that doesn't involve slaying and demon research, ok?" she was crying now and Liam still looked at the floor.

"Ok." He finally said.

"You do this every single time I try…Ok?" she just realized what he said.

"Ok" he said again looking at her. "There's a lot that I don't want to talk about. But I feel like you should at least know what you need to know. That ok?" she nodded her head in agreement and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Sit down. You want coffee?"

"No" she said as she sat on the couch. He came over sipping the cup of coffee. "How many have you had today?"

"I don't know. Maybe three." He said as he sat next to her.

"How can drink all that stuff?"

"Years of practice." He said with a smile. He set the cup down and leaned back on the couch. "What do you want to know first?" he asked looking at her. She didn't know where to start. So many questions raced through her mind.

"How about….why you're being distant from me." She said finally. This made Liam shift in his seat and look away from her. He took in a deep breath.

"Because you're dead in my future."

"Yeah. Kinda knew since you said that you got me killed last night."

"Because I did."

"How?" he took another deep breath before answering.

"You ever heard of the Mayan Doomsday Calendar?" he asked. She looked confused.

"I've heard of Mayans, and doomsdays, and calendars. But never together."

"The Mayans have a calendar system" he started to explain. "Their current calendar ends on a date in the future. A lot of people think that it means the end of the world. They were right, but you stopped it." he said looking at her.

"Go me." she said smiling.

"The date was December 21, 2012. I was four. We went out celebrating that we got to live another day." He looked away from her again. "It wasn't the end of the world then…..But it was the beginning of the end of mine."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX

**Nigh Time**

**Los Angeles, California**

**December 21, 2012**

Buffy was walking along the streets of LA at night. She was holding Kathy and Liam's hands as they walked form the board walk. Both of the twins were eating cookie dough fudge mint ship ice cream.

"Did you guys like the day you had?" she asked to her beautiful children. They both nodded in agreement while eating there treats.

"Mommy?" Kathy asked her. "Where's daddy?"

"He's been working all day and can't wait to see you guys when we get home."

"Can we play vamp and slaya tonight?" Liam asked eagerly.

"Yes we can." Buffy said smiling. They continued to walk and then Buffy stopped all of a sudden. Her children stared at her but she stared ahead of her, breathing louder. She then picked up her children and ran in the opposite direction. The children dropped their ice cream.

"Mommy." Kathy said.

"Ice cream" Liam said.

"I'll get you some when we get home, now be quite." She told the both of them and kept running. She went down alley after alley. Street after street. Occasionally she would go down one place, stopping, and turned around to go someplace else. She ran and ducked into a warehouse and slowed down. She went behind some crates and put her kids down. "Now listen to me. We're going to play a little game. You two are to hide behind these crates and not come out for any reason until I or daddy tell you to, ok?" she sounded frantic but the kids didn't notice. They nodded their heads and Buffy hugged and kissed them. she pulled out of the hug and pulled out herself and started dialing. "Angel, they've found me….somewhere house by the docks…..I don't know, I didn't look….Just use your vampire sense of smell…The kids will be safe for no but you have to get here…..get Spike and Connor too. Get everyone…..They won't care for the kids." With that she hung up the phone and hugged and kissed her kids again. "Now stay here and don't come out for any reason." They nodded and headed into the shadows. Buffy turned and walked out to another hiding spot and pulled out a stake and a knife from her purse. She sat and waited.

She heard the doors to the warehouse open and heard people come in. "Fan out and find them" she heard a woman's voice say. "They couldn't have escaped, we didn't see anyone come out." Buffy heard footsteps going in all directions. She heard one set of footsteps coming towards her. She waited for her moment. A man cam up next to her and she knocked him out with a good punch. "There" she heard someone say and the fight was on. She jumped out and started fighting everyone in sight. If she had too, she would kill her attackers, even though they were human. She knocked a few of them but killed two because she knew that would harm her kids. The children just sat in the corner hearing the sounds of the fight on the other side of the crates. Liam then got up and Kathy followed. They wanted to see where there mother was at. They peered around a crate and saw her battling two humans with axes. One human was sneaking up behind her with a knife in hand. This scared the kids.

"MOMMY!" they both screamed and both Buffy and the humans turned towards the kids. The human with the knife started making his way towards them instead. Buffy killed both of the humans she was fighting and threw her knife at the human going towards her children. He fell dead with a knife in his back. It looked like the fight was over. Buffy started making her way towards her kids and the children were delighted. Then they heard three loud shots echo through the warehouse and Buffy fell to the floor at there feet with bullet holes in her back. She was dead. The kids cried for her and started towards her but were stopped when a woman with red hair stood in there way with a gun in hand. They backed away crying and the woman kneeled down to them.

"You will suffer like me" she said. "You and your freak show of a family will suffer and die for what you are, and what you've done to me, and the world. It starts with your demon whore of a mother, then it will go down the line until all that's left…..are you two. Then, you will be examined to know exactly what you are, what makes you two so special. AND THEN YOU WILL DIE!" she screamed the last part and scared the kids. She got up and left the warehouse. The kids sat there crying and then the doors burst open with the Scooby Gang and Angel Investigations.

"Buffy? Liam? Kathy?" came the voice of their father.

"DADDY!" they both screamed and he came running to them. He stopped when he saw the dead body of his wife. He was shocked. His kids came out of the shadows and he went to hug both of them and turn them away from their dead mother. He looked at the body of his wife as they all cried. The rest o the team came over and saw the horror. Willow went to her knees and started to cry. Connor just stood there stunned at his step mother lying dead, tears forming in his eyes. Dawn leaned into Xander and started crying and Xander had a tear shed from his good eye. Gunn just stood, mourning for his fallen warrior and friend. Spike was holding a brunette woman in his arms as she cried and he had tears in his eyes. Angel cried silently as he held his and Buffy's children. They cried louder then any of them. For two young children, they knew what had happened. Their mother was asleep, and she wouldn't be waking up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX

**Late Morning**

**Liam's Apartment**

**Sunnydale, California**

**Present Day**

Liam finished telling Buffy the story of her death with tears on his eyes. Buffy also had tears. No child should see the horrors of one of their parents dying in front of them.

"That's why I tried to stay away from you. I don't have a lot of memories when I was four. But that one is burned into my mind. I didn't want to make memories with you, and then go back to the future and find out your still dead. I didn't want to go through the heartache again. I had too many of them in my life." A tear fell from his eye and Buffy held his hand and squeezed.

"You shouldn't have to deal with what you went through." She said to him. "But you have also given yourself something that a lot of people in your situation wish everyday." He looked at her perplexed. "Many kids lose their parents when they're young and wish to see them, know them everyday. They don't get that, but you have given yourself that opportunity. If I was in your situation I would use it." she put a hand to his face. "You shouldn't blame yourself for my death. I don't blame you." He closed his eyes and took in a breath. "I'm right here. I'm alive. You have an opportunity to know your own mother. You're also here to change the future for the better. Why not change my fate too? Sometimes it's ok to be a little selfish." He opened his eyes and looked at her through tears. "The best gift that anyone can give to another is a memorable memory of the both of them." he held her hand she had to his face.

"Ok mom" he said through the tears.

"Mom?" She said with a smile. He kissed the palm of her hand that was on his face, took it and held it with both hands while kissing the knuckles. They looked at each other for second before grabbing each other in a hug.

"I'm sorry mom" he said through a few sobs. "I love you. I can never hate you." She hugged him while she cried a little.

"I love you too, my son." She felt so happy at that moment and so was he. They pulled away after a few minutes and wiped the tears from their eyes. They stared at each other smiling when they both heard their stomachs growl angrily. Liam looked at the clock and saw that it was _12:31_.

"Guess it's time for some lunch." He said

"Got anything?" she asked.

"Just old Chinese food." After a minute he came up with an idea. "Let's go out."

"What?"

"Let's go out and get something to eat. We could spend the day together. You can get to know me. I can get to know you. We'll have fun." This was what she had been wanting since she first found out about him. She could feel tears forming back into her eyes again. "Mom, are you ok?" he asked concerned. She wiped the new tears from her eyes.

"I'm just…..Really happy." They both smiled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX

Liam took a big bite out of a burger he ordered. Liam and Buffy were at the Doublemeat Palace and had ordered themselves some food.

"You are so disgusting." Buffy said revolted at his eating habits. He had ordered a burger with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions, mushrooms, and french fries. "How can you eat all that food?" she had only ordered a plain burger with cheese.

"Says the woman who pigs out after slaying." He said with a mouthful. "Mom, I'm a guy. This is how we eat."

"Your father knows manners. He should have taught you."

"He did. But lately in my time, manners aren't something people use." He said and took a sip of his drink. "When you get food, you eat it before someone else takes it."

"That's nasty." She said with her faced scrunched up. "All I'm saying is when you're in the company of your mother, you could at least be polite."

"Next time" he continued to eat. She also continued to eat. They had been talking since they left his apartment and when they were waiting for their food. Buffy was learning a lot about her future son. He loved Cookie Dough Fudge Mint Chip ice cream like she did, sushi, anything that was meat, loves riding horses, classic cars, and fighting. Buffy thought that maybe they could spar one time and see how good he was.

"So are you ok with Giles knowing who you are?" she asked hoping he wouldn't be mad that she told him.

"Yeah. I guess" he replied. "I've heard a lot about Giles. He's cool. He can keep a secret."

"Heard about him?" she asked quizzically. "Isn't he there in the future?"

"After your…." He stopped. He didn't really like talking about her death even after she knew about it. "After the event, dad pretty much cut Kathy and I off from the world. If we weren't at home, we were at school. If not school, home. I'm pretty sure he was even at school with us, watching us. I didn't even officially meet Dawn until I got into high school. Some people now I haven't even met in the future. Probably because they are off someplace or their dead. I like to think that they are still alive."

"Me too." She said before taking another bite. She thought that with the apocalypse in the future that maybe some were dead but she didn't like to think about it. "So how were you able to break through Pessumis's magic anyway?" she asked curiously. This made Liam stop from taking another bite of his burger and set it down. Buffy looked at him. "Liam?" he took in a breath and took off his sunglasses.

"When I was 15…..I met Angelus for the first time." This made Buffy stop eating. She put her burger down and looked at him.

"Angel lost his soul?"

"Yeah. He did, and I met the demon that practically ruined my father's life." he said with venom. "He tortured me and Kathy. Tried to make us go insane. Make us like him."

"What do you mean?" Liam leaned on the table and folded his hands.

"I am the spawn of the slayer and a vampire, mom." he said to her. "While the soul was in control when we were conceived, the demon was present. There is a part of the demon inside me. Angelus tried to make it come out. He wanted us to be his children instead of dad's. He wanted us to be monsters." She stared at him in disbelief. "He tortured us, told us that we were like him…..But we never believed it. That's how I broke through. I tapped into the demon part of me that has no emotions. No remorse. When dad told me about my demon side, I made a promise that I would never use it."

"I'm so sorry." She said took his hand from across the table. "But you can't let that get to you. We all have demons inside of us."

"I know."

"It's our choices that make us embrace or push away the demon."

"I know"

"Ok Mr. I know everything" she said as she took her hand away. "If you know all this, why am I telling you?"

"I like hearing it come from you." He replied and smiled at her. This made her smile too. "Besides, I have to thank Angelus for it."

"What? Why?"

"If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have stood up to all the bullies and demons that I came across. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't have balls. She scoffed at this thinking it was ludicrous. Then she wanted to know more about the story.

"How did he lose his soul?"

"A demon shaman did it. Paid for by 'big sis'."

"Kathy?"

"No. Kathy's my little sister. I'm talking about my big sister, Drusilla." Buffy leaned back with a shock look on her face.

"Drusilla?" she whispered.

"Yeah. Apparently, 'big sis' wanted 'daddy' back. She had him for several hours. Then he got his soul back and killed her. He felt so guilty after that. I felt like I was in foster care. I moved from one family friend to another for over a month. Never saw him. He came to us after that and begged for forgiveness. He was crying." Buffy felt a wave of guilt and sympathy for her son. She would never have allowed her kids to even know Angelus, but that didn't work out like it did. Then a thought came to her that she didn't acknowledge until just now.

"How did Angel and I…..Conceive you when he has the curse?"

"Well after you two got smart…." She gave him a look that said 'better watch what you're going to say next' "You asked Willow to find a spell to bind his soul. She found one after some months. You guys took it really slow. After that, your little bundles of joy came out."

"Do you have the spell with you?" she asked frantically. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a CD case.

"You have no idea how hard it was to track an old CD down in the future." He put the case back into his pocket.

"And since you have the spell, and you can do magic, we can put the spell on your father and be a happy family." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, but I think it would be best if Willow did it."

"Why?"

"Because she's more powerful than I am. I just use magic every now and then. Willow use's it all the time. Plus, she was the one that casted the spell the first time."

"Good point. Do you think that she will be ok with me and Angel?

"Totally. She's your best friend. She just wants you to be happy." He finished up his burger and wiped his mouth off. This was great. Buffy was spending time with her son and he was letting her. She had noticed that when they left his apartment he had his sunglasses on. She wondered why.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"I believe you just did, but allow another one." Buffy chuckled at his joke before proceeding.

"What's the story behind your sunglasses? I know they keep the sun out of your eyes and to prevent the gang from discovering your secret identity, but why keep them on like all the time?" Liam took his sunglasses off and looked at them before leaning in closer.

"You wanna know what these glasses do?" he whispered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX

"So why are we out her again?" Buffy asked. They left the restaurant and made their way to a park. Liam hadn't said why until….

"I'm going to show you what these glasses do. He took them off and placed them on Buffy. They were just ordinary glasses.

"Just ordinary glasses." She said.

"That's what you thought." he said then pressed something on the rim of the glasses. A green light went down the lenses and small letter appeared on the lenses saying _'_welcome'. The shade of the lenses changed so she saw everything clearly as if she didn't have glasses on at all. But to someone looking at her, she had dark sunglasses. Images started popping up on the lenses. In the top left corner, the temperature and current weather conditions showed. The bottom had little lines going across and up and the letter W on top. This must be a compass and she was facing west. On the bottom right, it had the date and time. At the top, it had a small word that was just barley big enough for Buffy to see. It said _zoom_.

"This is so cool" she said with a grin.

"It gets cooler" he replied and moved her so that she was facing to parking lot. "What kind of car is that over there?" he pointed to a white car but Buffy couldn't see what it was.

"I don't know." Liam tapped the band of the glasses and Buffy's vision changed so that she was looking through binoculars. She could see the car now. "Oh, I see it. It's a Chevy."

"Nice" he complimented the car. He tapped the band again and Buffy's vision went back to normal.

"What else can these things do?"

"Let me know when you see _thermal _at the top." He traced his finger slowly across the band and Buffy saw the words move at the top.

"Thermal." She said when he got there. He tapped the band again and Buffy's vision changed from normal to something as if she was staring trough the eyes of the aliens in predator. The atmosphere looked green but the people looked yellow with red and orange coming from the center. "Whoa. This is so cool."

"It helps when you're in a crowd and need to spot vampires. They show up as blue people." He tapped the band again and they went back to normal. "Now tell me when you reach _millimeter sensor_." He moved his finger along the band again and Buffy saw millimeter sensor appear.

"Milli." She said and he stopped and moved her to face a tree. She was confused at this point. He tapped the band again and she saw a pulse go from her out and she saw the outlines of people behind the tree. She saw a mother playing with her baby, a kid flying a kite, a jogger jogging, and other people walking. The pulse kept on emitting and Buffy could see what people were doing with each pulse. "That's so awesome."

"It helps when people or things are behind objects. Lets you know where they are."

"What else?" she was so excited. Liam tapped the back of the bands and in the top right corner of the lenses, she saw him standing there. "Eyes in the back of your head?"

"Yeah, how do you think I saw that vampire sneak up on us when we faced Harmony?"

"Dawn called him out."

"I saw him long before Dawn." He tapped the bands and the sensor and back camera went away.

"This is so cool" she said turning to him. "Can I keep these?"

"No, there mine."

"Can you get me a pair?"

"Wait 20 years and if your still good friends with Riley, he'll get you some. Now give me back my toy." He said holding out his hand. Buffy pouted. She wanted these glasses so bad. They could really help. She handed them to him and he put them on. Then his expression got all serious. "Willow and Tara."

"What? Where?"

"Behind you walking. They haven't noticed us yet, but there going to. Hold on" he rolled up his sleeve to reveal some sort of pad on his arm. He tapped the screen a little and the next second he disappeared. Buffy was startled but with closer examination, she could make out his outline. He didn't disappear, he was invisible, sorta.

"You're invisible."

"Not really. Optical Camo Suit. Here they come."

"Buffy" came Willows voice from behind her. She turned around to face them.

"Hey you guys. What are you up too?" she said trying to act surprise.

"We were just taking a walk before our next class" Tara answered. "How are you?"

"Great." Buffy said. "I'm out and about, enjoying life's many happiness….happiness's?"

"That's great Buffy" Willow said. "You should get out and enjoy. Especially after everything that's happened." Buffy saw strands of hair on both sides of Willow's head go up and down. She knew who was doing that. She fought to keep a straight face. Willow felt the hairs move and turned around. She didn't see anybody and the strands fell to her sides.

"What is it?" Tara asked.

"I don't know. Felt like someone was playing with my hair but I don't see anybody behind me. Buffy did you see anything."

"I can honestly say that I didn't see anything." She said with the straightest face possible. It was getting a little harder not to laugh. Tara then jumped with a squeal. She looked behind her then at Willow.

"Willow, we talked about this." She said to her.

"What?" Willow asked confused.

"You know…About you touching me like that in public." Willow flicked something form behind her right ear but nothing was there.

"I didn't touch you at all." Tara smiled thinking the Willow was playing with her.

"Please no more."

"No more what?" Willow flicked at something form the other ear, but again nothing was there. She turned around trying to see what was happening. Buffy bit her lip, fighting so hard not to laugh. It was just too funny.

"We should go. We got class." Tara said and left with Willow, who was still looking confused.

"I didn't do anything."

When they were out of sight and hear shot, Buffy let out all the laughter she as holding in. Liam reappeared a second later laughing too.

"That…..was nice" Buffy said once she got her voice back.

"Yeah. Camouflage is a bitch." Liam replied. They started walking together in the opposite direction.

"Hey, did you use that to hide from me the night you met me."

"Maybe" he said with a grin. She laughed some more.

"Cheater." She accused him

"Nope, just using every advantage I can get." They walked for some ways when Buffy remembered something that Giles told her.

"Giles told me about you and his first talk."

"Yeah….not really how I pictured it going." He said with a sigh.

"I think you should apologize to him."

"I will if he does. He yelled at me."

"He didn't like how you were treating me. I think you deserved it."

"Whatever. Should we go to the Magic Box now?"

"Yeah let's do that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Buffy walked into the Magic Box to find Giles helping out customers, Anya at he register, and Riley and Xander at the table.

"Buffy" Riley acknowledged her as she came over to the table. "How are you?"

"Better than I was this morning. I just needed to get out and enjoy life's happiness's." she said with a grin.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." He said with a kiss.

"Yeah it's always good to get and get fresh air" Xander chimed in.

"Yes it is." She replied.

Giles finished up with the customers and came over.

"How are you, Buffy?" he asked.

"Better. You?" she said and asked.

"Also better."

"Giles I need to talk to you in private." Giles nodded and they both headed into the back training room. Buffy closed the door and turned to Giles.

"Is this about Liam?" he asked. She nodded. "How is he?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" came Liam's voice from the back door. Giles turned and stared at him. Liam walked in taking off his sunglasses and stood before Giles. "I'm sorry about our…..conversation we had yesterday."

"Well, thank you. I am too sorry for the way I acted. I'm sure you understand my reasoning."

"I do grandpa." This got both Buffy's and Giles attention.

"Grandpa" they both said.

"Well…technically he is" Liam answered. Liam smiled and then started to chuckled. "Hi Grandpa Giles" he said and brought Giles into a hug. Giles was taken aback at first, but then relented and hugged his grandson. Buffy had tears forming in her eyes at the moment. They both separated and stared at each other. Giles was smiling a little and Liam had on a wide grin.

"Well uh…" Giles began. "It's very nice to meet the real you Liam."

"Great to see you too."

"I assume you and your mother have talked."

"Yes. A lot of tears, a lot of hugs. Hung out today. It was great."

"Good. Good. Uh….do forgive for being serious and acting all watcher on you, but I must ask about the future knowledge that you hold. If what Buffy said is true and our futures are in peril, it is important that you share this knowledge with us."

"I understand, but I can't." Liam started pacing around the training room. "Not because I don't trust you guys, it's because for the same reason that I didn't tell you guys who I was in the first place. If Evil knows that I have future knowledge about what's to come, they'll come after me. And they'll go after you two if they found out you know what I know. I'm not going to put you guys in the situation." He stopped and leaned up against the wall.

"What about the first event?" Buffy asked. "Can't you tell us about just that?"

"No. Too risky. It's sensitive information. That's why I'm not going to tell you guys anything until at most a few days before the event occurs. That way you guys know, and we can come up with a plan or agree with my plan."

"And what exactly is your plan for this first event?" Giles asked.

"You're training her."

"Buffy?"

"Me?" Buffy asked.

"I have a feeling that I won't be able to do it alone. Mom might have a better chance at it. If needed, I'll be back up."

"When is this first event?" Giles asked.

"Not for a few weeks."

"Then we must prepare."

"Calm down Grandpa. Don't make me get the nurse?" he joked. Buffy chuckled and Giles took off his glasses and start to clean them. "Does he always do that?" he asked Buffy.

"yup." She said

"I'm not that old." Giles said.

"It's nothing dire." Liam continued. "But it could lead to something dire if we don't act upon it when it happens."

"Are any of these event related to the woman Buffy fought? Or Dawn being the Key?"

"I've never heard anything about the both of them until mom told me. This is news to me."

"Well, it looks like we have to deal with what's in front of us at the moment then. Please do tell us when these events of yours will occur, will you?"

"Don't worry, I will. Scout's honor" Liam said while holding up three fingers.

"You were a boy scout?" Buffy asked with a smile.

"No, but I do hold honor close to me so….." Buffy giggled at him. She had her son finally. They were talking and laughing and Giles knew too. Liam called him Grandpa and he called Angel dad. It looked like he was finally happy after so many years of torture. Buffy couldn't be any happier then she was right now. And she couldn't wait to see Angel again and start the future family she knows she will have. Everything seemed perfect.

**So yeah. Liam opened up and he and Buffy are Mother and Son finally. Giles knows too. Next chapter will get back to the canon, but with more Liam thrown in there. Now this is where I need you guy's help. I need a song that relates to family, friends, or Tara in general. Yes, next chapter is Tara's birthday. We are getting really close to Angel coming in and Riley going out. I know I can't wait. Update soon. **


	9. Family

Chapter 9: Family

**Ok. So last chapter we saw more into Liam's past. Now we are back with the canon. This will focus a little more on Liam's relationship with the rest of the gang now that he and Buffy are on good terms. Some people of said something's about Connor and Buffy being his step mother. Well to clarify, Liam is from the future that follows the original story line and my version after the end of the series. He comes back to change it all up. Hope that helps. Enjoy.**

Liam had his eyes closed. He was relaxing his body to do his exercise. Buffy, his mother, had told him of the exercise where you do a handstand and block out noise, she also told him about how Dawn made her mess up. He laughed at that, she didn't. He had _Sleepsong_ playing on his IPod that he had plugged in. The song helped him relax when doing anything. It's how he got to sleep the night Buffy stayed with him, and her holding him. That helped a lot. He leaned forward and placed both hands on the block and did a handstand. When he thought about doing this exercise, he remembered the movie Starwars and how Luke used the force to move objects while doing a handstand. He thought about doing the same thing. He moved one hand out from under him and stood with only the other hand. He concentrated and blocked out all noise. He tapped into his magic and started moving objects around the room. Mr. Azul started to float along with a cup, some books, his weapon belt, his glasses, and his cross necklace that used to be his mothers. Other objects started to move as he concentrated. The table started to vibrate before moving a few inches of the ground, then Liam heard a knocking from the door and that brought him out of his concentration. Everything fell to the floor and Liam fell head first onto the block of wood.

"OW!" He yelled as he landed with a loud thud. Buffy rushed into the room and saw it in disarray. Then she went and bent down to Liam helping him up into a sitting position.

"Are you ok?" she asked worried.

"I now know why you didn't like Dawn messing up your training." He said as he rubbed his head. "That hurt."

"Aww, my poor baby." She cooed as she kissed the bump on his head where he fell. He smiled at the motherly love. She looked around the room again and saw all the objects on the floor. "What exactly were you doing?"

"I was attempting to do that handstand you told me about while meditating and floating objects around the room."

"How'd that work out?"

"Good. Up until the point you knocked on the door real loudly."

"I only lightly tapped."

"Whatever." Buffy helped him up of the ground and they both looked at each other lovingly, and then enveloped each other in a hug. Liam kissed her cheek. Buffy loved these moments. Ever since Liam started opening up to her, they had been spending more time together whenever they could. Sometimes Giles would, for some of her training sessions, pin Buffy and Liam together. Liam fought a lot like Angel, but he had more of his own style in the fighting. Buffy was unprepared for him, but quickly adapted. There first match ended with Liam pinning Buffy on the ground. The second, third, and fourth matches had Buffy being on top, albeit with some difficulty. It seemed that Liam had a few extra tricks up his sleeve, and wouldn't give up without a real good fight. Buffy like this about him

_Buffy had Liam pinned on the ground and was about to declare victory when Liam grabbed her with his legs and spun her so that he was on top._

"_How did you do that?" she asked impressed._

"_You'll find I'm full of surprises." He said back. _

Buffy loved spending time with her son. They pulled away from the hug and just stared at each other smiling. Liam realized that the song on his IPod was still playing and went over turn it off. Buffy had heard enough to remember that it was the song he played the night Pessimus came and she stayed with him.

"What is that song anyway? It sounds nice."

"It's a song that won't come out for another five years. It's called _Sleepsong._ It's like a modern day Irish Lullaby. Dad found it and sang it to me and Kathy to get us to go to sleep. With him, he had to sing it twice to get us to go to sleep. With you, we were out by the second verse. At least that's what dad told us."

"It's nice."

"Yeah. After….after the event, dad sang it to us all the time. When I got older, and learned how to use technology and all that, I found it on the internet and downloaded it. I listened to it for many nights and after bad days. It also helps me relax for training. If you want I can give you a CD of it and you can memorize it for when we come into this world."

"I'd like that. It might even get me to go to sleep some nights." They both smiled again.

"So how are you?" Liam asked breaking the silence.

"I'm good." She replied, "Are you ok?"

"I'll live." He said while rubbing his head again and walked towards the refrigerator. "Remember I was tortured by Angelus. This is a pinch compared to what I went through." This made Buffy shudder.

"I'm so sorry." She didn't like how her own son was tortured by the monster that made hers and Angel's lives miserable.

"It's ok mom." He said as he got a water bottle from the fridge and sipped it. "Best case scenario, we save the future, you live, Angelus never comes out. I'm fine" This made Buffy smile. "Do you need something?"

"Well I wanted to come see you." He raised an eyebrow to her. "And was hoping you'd help me with something."

"There it is. What do need help with?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X

Buffy was stacking some boxes in the hallway. Xander and Riley were carrying a mini-fridge out of a dorm room. Xander bumped his hand on the door frame.

"Ow! Thumb! Necessary opposable thumb!" Xander cried.

"Sorry." Riley said. "Crybaby."

"You know what, you guys, just leave it here." Buffy said going by them. Riley and Xander put the fridge down. Dawn emerged from another door, carrying a stack of boxes that obscured her vision.

"I don't need help." She said as she passed by.

"Just be careful." Buffy turned and entered through the door Dawn just exited. Willow, Anya, Liam and Giles were in her dorm room, surrounded by boxes.

"But we just helped her move the stuff in a few days ago..." Anya complained, she turned to Buffy as she came in. "...and it was fun!"

"People help each other out, Anya." Giles aid while reading a book. "It's one of our strange customs."

"Giles," Buffy said noticing his apparent lack of helping. "I noticed you're doing the smallest amount of helping that can actually be called helping."

"Well, I saw myself in more of a ... patriarchal sort of role. You know, lots of pointing and scowling." He smiles and looks to his left, points and scowls. "You two, stop that!" Xander and Riley were grappling each other, bent over at the waist. Xander had Riley in a headlock.

"He started it." Riley said.

"He called me a bad name." Xander countered. "I think it was bad. It might've been Latin."

"Stop it, or you're going to break something." Giles said.

"Or I'm going to break something." Buffy said. This made the boys suddenly let go of each other and straighten up. Liam snickered at his mother's threat.

"You know" Liam started. "When you said you wanted me to help you with something, I assumed that it would be demon related."

"Well, now your helping me move." Liam didn't look pleased. "Come on, you know you like doing this then reading old books." Liam smiled knowing his mother was right. Willow and Tara were folding clothes, smiling at each other.

"Still can't believe you're giving up this cherry corner suite." Xander said.

"Just a few days after we moved you in!" Anya said entering through the door.

"It's no big." Buffy shrugged while looking casual. Giles looks up from his book and Liam turned to her. "You know, with Mom not being well, I'm hardly ever here. Just figured I'd ... save a little cash for this semester, that's all." She said as she picks up a pile of clothes to put in a box.

"I think that's smart." Willow said.

"Still, it's hard to give up." Xander said. You've got the two entrances, lot of opportunity for bawdy French farce, and everybody loves bawdy…"

"Where's Dawn?" Buffy interrupted him.

"I think she just walked out." Liam said pointing out one of the doors.

"Dawn!" she called while heading to the door. Dawn re-enters and breezes past Buffy.

"Some of your CDs are my CDs." She said.

"I know. Come help me fold." Tara smiles at them. Everyone returns to packing and carrying, and reading in Giles' case. Willow takes a suitcase and leaves the room. Buffy bends over to fold something and grabs her lower back with a sigh.

"Starting to feel that fight?" Riley asked. He was referring to the woman Buffy fought, but the ache in her back was from Liam kicking her there in one of their sparring matches. He apologized, but she got him back later in the match.

"Nothing like gettin' your ass kicked to ... make your ass hurt." She said while looking at Liam. He looked at her with a smug look on his face. She was going to wipe it later.

"You'll totally take her next time." Dawn said.

"Cause you'll have backup, baby." Xander said. "She's messin' with all of us."

"Yes," Giles chimed in. "uh, we'll, we'll, uh, find her weaknesses, and then, uh…"

"Yeah." Tara said wanting to be a part of the conversation. "You learn her source and, uh, we'll introduce her to her insect reflection." She grins and Liam started laughing. Everyone looks at them in confusion. Tara stops smiling and Liam looks at them all confused.

"What, you all didn't think that was funny."

"Um" Tara started. "They would get it if they, uh, studied Taglarin mythic rites..." she looked at the ground "and are a complete dork." She said softly.

"Oh, then how come Xander didn't laugh?" Riley asked while Tara took a box and exited. Tara walked out into the hall, shaking her head. Willow approaches her.

"Hey." She said. "You wanna start taking stuff down to the car?"

"Yeah." Tara nodded

"Okay." Willow goes back into the dorm room. Tara walks off with her box.

"Stupid..." she whispered to herself. Back in the room, Liam heard Tara outside. He picked up a box and headed out, nearly bumping into Willow. He jogs down the hall until he caught up to Tara.

"Hey" he said catching up to her.

"Hey" Tara replied weakly.

"For the record, I thought that was funny."

"But no one else did. I feel like a total dork."

"Hey, none of that dork talk. You're smart. This…" he pointed to her head. "…is the future. Your mind is going to be key in the evolution of mankind in the future. The gang should be worshipping you." Tara smiled at his compliment.

"Thanks." She replied looking at him. "How did you even understand what I said in there?"

"I learned that stuff in high school."

"But high schools don't teach Taglarin mythic rites."

"Didn't stop me from studying them." he laughed. She laughed too. "I know, it's hard being an outsider in this gang." He said bringing up what was bothering her.

"It's just that they have this really tight bond, and I don't know how to be in it. Or if they don't want me to be in it."

"They do. Having them let you in is the easy part. Actually being yourself, so that they let you in, is the hard part. You just need to open up more."

"I guess you're right. Did you do that?"

"Who said that I 'did' it? I'm still doing it. I can tell that I don't have the approval of some of the gang."

"Yeah. Xander and Riley don't seem like they like you very much."

"They just need to know me. And that's what I'm trying to do. Just like you should. You're a really great girl Tara. You should show the world who you are." Tara smiled even more. This lifted her spirits a lot. "So…" he said waiting.

"So what?"

"Start spillin about yourself. What do you like to do? What is your favorite song? What have you always wanted?" Tara pondered for a moment.

"Uh…Well…There was this one song that I loved to dance to when I was kid."

"Really? What song?"

"Promise not to laugh."

"Promise"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX

In the Magic Shop, Anya handed a paper bag to a customer and smiled.

"Thank you for coming. We value your patronage." The customer left and Anya called back. "Please come again for more purchases!" Giles puts a box on the counter.

"Could we please be a little less effusive, Anya? Don't want to frighten the people." He said.

"I'm just so excited. They come in, I help them ... they give us money in exchange for goods ... you give me money for working for you ... I have a place in the world now. I'm part of the system. I'm a working gal."

"Yes. Well, why don't you start organizing the shipping orders.

"Oh, no, that's boring. I just want to do the money parts." Buffy, Liam, and Xander entered the shop.

"Well, sure I forgot about the party." Buffy said to them. "I mean, there's kind of a lot going on. And it's not ... you know ... the most thrilling social event of the season." Xander nods.

"Yeah" he said "... it's a big deal for Willow, though. I mean, you are gonna be there?"

"Yeah." She shrugs. "Barring monsters."

"Hey don't talk like that." Liam said stepping in. "Birthdays are something to celebrate. And quite frankly I am surprised that you two forgot. I barley know Tara and yet I remembered."

"Hey, hi." Anya said as she leans over the counter toward Xander

"Gimme sugar." He said. "I've come to buy sugar." He puts his hands on Anya's face and they kiss.

"Mmm. We value your patronage."

"And I wish to value my lunch by keeping it down." Liam said under his breath.

"So," Buffy said to Giles. "Any breakthroughs on the identity of Miss Congeniality?"

"Well, I have narrowed it down somewhat." He said while looking down at the table with large assortment of books spread out on it.

"Your definition of narrow is impressively wide."

"Well, you didn't give me much to go on. She-she looks human, so the mug shots aren't any use, and, uh, you can't be more specific about what she's like?" Buffy pondered.

"She was kinda like Cordelia, actually. I'm pretty sure she dyes her hair.

"Right! That one, of course. Our work is done."

"There must be something on her." She sits at table with Liam as Xander approached.

"The answer is somewhere here." He said melodramatically while he stared at the book-covered table. "It's right in front of us and we're too blind to see it!" He slams his hand down on the table. Buffy and Liam give him exasperated looks. Giles rolls his eyes. "I'm helping, I'm reading," he sits and whispers. "I'm quiet." Giles takes a box and begins climbing some stairs to the loft. Buffy, Liam, and Xander sit at the table looking at books.

"So" Buffy said bringing up a new topic. "What'd you get her?"

"Huh?"

"Tara. You said you got a present already."

"Yeah, that was a tangled web of lies, sweetie. I'm not really sure what kind of thing she'd ... I mean, I don't really know her that well."

"I know."

"I mean, she's nice."

"Yeah! Yeah, nice ... nice. I-it's just, I-I sort of..."

"I don't necessarily get her ... but she's really nice."

"Yeah. There's ... just that thing."

"That thing."

"That ... thing of not understanding…"

"Half of what she says?"

"As for example. But she's super nice."

"You betcha."

"You guys are probably the worst friends ever." Liam said. "Best friend gets a new girlfriend and you guys don't even make the effort of trying to get to know her. You two should be ashamed of yourselves." Buffy and Xander were about to retort when they sighed. Liam was right. They should have gotten to know Tara long before now. They continue looking at books.

"Think there'll be a lot of Wiccas there, heavy Wiccan crowd?" Buffy asked.

"Well, that's sort of her deal." Xander said. "Her and Willow are all Wiccie. Swingin' with the Wiccan lifestyle."

"Which is cool."

"Well, yeah."

"I just hope we fit in, not awkward."

"That's how Tara's feeling about the Scoobies" Liam said. They looked at him confused. "She wants to fit in, but she feels like you guys don't want her to be a part of it. You guys need to let her into that bond of yours."

"How do you know all this?"

"Unlike some people, I actual want to know my friends."

"But you see with Willow" Xander began to speak. "It's like, she's got this ... whole new thing in her life. But she's still Willow, so I can always figure her out. But Tara, I just know she likes Willow, and she already has one of those." Buffy groans and slams a book shut.

"Ugh! I have a present-buying headache. Tara's damn birthday is just one too many things for me to worry about." Giles comes back down from the loft.

"Come up with anything yet?" he asks

"Well, candles, maybe, or bath oils of some kind." Xander said.

"I saw a really cute sweater at Bloomy's" Buffy began. "But, I think I want me to have it."

"And you are talking about what on earth?" Giles asked.

"Tara's birthday." Liam answered. "Apparently these two don't know what to get her."

"You're all in a magic shop, and you can't think what Tara would like. I believe you're all profoundly stupid."

"I second that, but direct it to them. I already got a present for her."

"What is it?" Buffy asked

"Like I'd tell you. You'll probably just steel it."

"I would never." Buffy countered. Liam raised an eyebrow. "OK I would use it to get an idea of what to get her." Buffy sighed again. "Can you tell me what to get her?"

"Sorry Buffy. You're on your own."

"Well, we don't really know the kind of things witches like." Xander began to explain. "What, are we gonna get her some cheesy crystal ball?"

"Bloody well better not." Giles warned. "I've got mine already wrapped." A youngish guy with blond hair and a beard was looking at the shelves. He turns and looks at the books on the table in front of Buffy, Liam, and Xander.

"Uh, are all these magic books?" he asks.

"Uh, private collection." Giles answered. "Uh, books for sale are against the walls over there." He gestured with his coffee cup to the books for sale, and then walked toward the counter. The guy continued looking through books on the table.

"So all these books got spells in 'em? Turn people into frogs, things like that?" Everyone looks dubiously at him.

"Yeah," Xander replied sarcastically. "We're building a race of frog people. It's a good time." The guy grinned.

"So, uh... You all witches? Hey, don't do a spell on me now."

"Was there something in particular you were looking for?" Giles asked him. The door opened and Willow and Tara entered, laughing.

"Her insect reflection." Willow said coming in. "That is so good."

"I just thought that'd be funny, you know, if her center of power was…"Tara trailed off when she saw the guy, looking alarmed.

"Whatta you know." He says to her. "What's the matter? You don't have a hug for your big brother?" Willow looks surprised. Tara looks upset.

"Brother?" Willow asks looking at Tara.

"Willow, this is Donny." Tara stuttered. Willow walks forward. Tara follows, looking uncomfortable.

"Hi."

"Nice to meet you." Donny said while he shakes Willow's hand, smiling.

"And, uh, these are my-my friends." Tara stutters again. Donny looks back at the others, who nod and wave.

"What, uh, all of you hang out? Wow. That's more people than you met in high school." He gives Tara a friendly punch on the arm.

"How did you fi - I, I mean, how come you came?"

"Well, duh, birthday girl. Uh, we came down in the camper, been all over the campus."

"We?" Tara and Willow turn as the door opens and a man walks in followed by a girl about Tara's age.

"Look what I found!" Donny said gesturing at Tara.

"Uh, Dad, hi." Tara walked forward as Willow watches.

"Well, here's my girl." Said Mr. Maclay. Tara hugs her dad awkwardly.

"S-such a s-surprise." Tara said as she pulled out of the hug.

"Yes." Donny said.

"Cousin Beth."

"Hey." Beth said.

"One of your dorm-mates said I might ... find you here." Mr. Maclay said looking around.

"Oh. Oh, um," Tara said as she turned toward the others. "these are, these are friends. Um, this is Mr. Giles, um, he runs the shop." She said looking to Giles. Willow was smiling.

"How do you do?" Giles said.

"Pleasure." Mr. Maclay replied. "Well, I, I don't mean to interrupt your plans, I know we've come on you kind of suddenly, but I thought we could have dinner."

"Okay." Tara said.

"Why don't I pick you up at six, and we'll do some catching up."

"Yes, sir." Mr. Maclay looked at the others.

"Forgive me for running out. We're double-parked." Mr. Maclay, Beth, and Donny leave. Tara watches anxiously. Tara walks farther into the shop, toward Willow.

"That's so weird. Your ... whole family." Willow said. Tara smiles nervously.

"Yeah." She said. Buffy, Liam, and Xander all exchanged looks.

"They seem nice."

"You know, they-they're okay. Families are always…"

"They make you crazy." Buffy looked at Liam who looked back with a smile.

"Usually. Wanna get into research mode?"

"Sure." They went to the table with the others to do research.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X

Later in the magic shop, Buffy, Liam, Anya, and Xander were sitting around the table. Dawn is looking at a bookshelf and Willow entered the store.

"Hey. Am I late? Did I miss any exposition?" She said.

"No, no, no, no, nothing earth-shattering to relate." Giles said as he leans his hands on the back of a chair. "I just have a few thoughts, and, uh, wanted to make sure that we were all on the same page."

"Can I buy one of these?" Dawn asked.

"No." Buffy replied.

"With my own money?"

"I let you come, now sit down and look studious." Dawn walked to toward the table looking annoyed and sat down. Liam leaned into her.

"I'll buy you one later" he whispered. Dawn smiled at him. Around the corner past the bookshelves Tara was hiding, listening.

"Well, first of all," Giles began. "I want to talk to you about ... safety. Um, this creature could be…"

"Will be." Buffy said.

"Will be coming after Buffy, and possibly all of us."

"So what else is new?" Liam asked sarcastically. Tara started whispering a spell.

"Blind Cadria, desolate queen, work my will upon them all. Your curse upon them, my obeisance to you." She holds up her hand and blows on it. A red stream flows out of her hand. The tendril of red floated over to the gang at the table.

"Now," Giles went on. "I may have a lead on this monk that Buffy spoke of. There, there are a few orders that I-I've read up on…" The red dust turns yellow and floats into the middle of the table, then sends out shoots, one for each Willow, Buffy, Liam, Dawn, Giles, Anya and Xander. It hits them in the eyes and they all simultaneously flinch back. A pause, then Giles continues, looking confused. "I-I'm sorry, where was I?"

"The monk." Buffy told him.

"Yes, um, I'd like us all to start looking at these orders, I-it's possible whichever one this monk belonged to was wiped out entirely..." Tara retreating backward, watching them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Buffy was in her workout room with Liam, doing some stretches on the floor. Liam had his axe in hand and was twirling it and making striking motions with it.

"So I came home, and Riley and I act like a cute couple, and Dawn comes in about to go out and I tell her 'no' even though her dinner friends were across the street."

"Sounding a little over protective, mom."

"I know, but with this demon chick on the loose, I don't want to take chances. I tried to explain that to Riley but he ran out on me annoyed because I wouldn't tell him what was on my mind."

"Let me guess, me, Dawn, grandma, dad, the future." Buffy stopped stretching and looked at him.

"How much longer do I have to keep this up? I want to be with your father and yet I'm with a guy I don't love that way." Liam stopped twirling his axe and took of his sunglasses, looking at her and sighed.

"It's only for a couple more weeks."

"That's what you said last week."

"Well I'm telling the truth. You and Riley will be done soon, and when that happens, it'll be time to go to dad. I promise. This will all work out." Buffy shrugged and started punching a punching bag. She pauses to do some arm stretches. Buffy frowns and looks toward the door. Nothing's there. Buffy turns back to the punching bag, and does some shoulder rolls. She made a face as if she were sore. Suddenly Buffy whirls around and blocks as if something tried to grab her. Liam notices and looks confused. Buffy falls to the floor.

"Giles!" she called. Buffy had her hands in front of her, pushing at something, but Liam couldn't see. "Something's in here!" Liam understood and started scrolling through his options on his sunglasses and lands on _'Millimeter sensor'_. He activates it and sees the outlines of demons with each pulse. They were on his mother. He sees another one behind the first one and goes after it. Buffy was still wrestling with the first demon. The workout room door opens and Spike enters, grinning. Buffy breaks out of the demon's grasp and shoves it backward, off of her. As she stands up, the second demon knocks Liam down and grabs her around the waist from behind. Spike stops grinning as the first demon gets up. Spike rolls his eyes in exasperation and hurries forward. He tackles the first demon and pulls it aside, landing on the floor on his back with the demon on top of him. Buffy punches the second demon over her shoulder, and then flips it. As it got up Liam ran forward, grabbed the demon and shoved it against the wall. It slumped down and was still. Buffy rushed toward the door with Liam at her heel. Spike was still on the floor with the demon in a stranglehold.

"You're welcome!" He said. The demon punches him in the face. Buffy and Liam enter the main shop area and run forward.

"Where'd it go?!" Anya Said swinging a weapon around frantically. Giles is suddenly reeled backwards as the unseen demon punches him.

"I see it" Liam said and tackled the demon that punched Giles.

"Shut up!" Buffy said to everyone and used her slayer senses to find the demons. The front door opens and Tara enters. She walks forward a few steps, looking anxious.

"Buffy, behind you!" she said. A demon was standing immediately behind Buffy. She turns just as it grabs her and throws her onto the table. She rolls off the other side of the table onto the floor. Liam kills the demon he was fighting with and got up looking around.

"Tara, where is it? Can you see it?"

"Oh, god." Tara said realizing what was happening. Tara comes forward as the demon punches Buffy in the face. Liam goes after the demon and starts swinging his axe trying to hit it. Tara started whispering another spell.

"Blind Cadria, lift your veil. Give evil form and break my spell." A flash of light happens in Buffy's eyes and she suddenly sees the demon, which is rushing at Tara. It hits her in the face; she goes down. The demon turns back to Buffy and Liam. She punches it, then it grabs her arm and throws her to the floor. She rolls over several times. Tara's dad enters, followed by Donny and Beth. The demon stands over Tara, who is still lying on the floor.

"Tara!" Mr. Maclay yells. The demon looks up, rushes toward Mr. Maclay. He falls backward onto the floor. Liam throws his axe and it embeds itself in the back of the demons head. The demon falls on the ground near Mr. Maclay. He was sprawled on the floor staring at the corpse. "What in god's name is that?"

"Lei-ach demon." Spike says as he enters from the back. Everyone looks at him. "Fun little buggers. Big with the marrow-sucking." Mr. Maclay gets up. Tara was sitting on the floor, looking guilty.

"I don't understand."

"I'm not sure I do either." Buffy said arms folded, looking down at Tara.

"I'm sorry. I'm s-s-so sorry." Tara said sniffling. "I was, I was trying to hide." Willow comes forward and kneels by Tara. "I didn't want you to see ... what I am."

"Tara, what?" Willow was confused.

"What do you mean, what you are?" Buffy asked all serious. Tara tries to speak but can't.

"Demon." Her father answered. "The women in our family have demon in them. Her mother had it. That's where the magic comes from." Tara looks down, then looks up at Willow, who stares at her. "We came to take her home before..." he sighs. "Well, before things like this started happening."

"You cast a spell on us," Giles said looking at Tara. "To keep us from seeing your ... demon side. That's why we couldn't see our attackers."

"Nearly got us killed." Buffy said looking behind her at Dawn.

"I'll go." Tara said as she scrambles to her feet. She looked at Buffy. "I'm very sorry."

"The camper's outside." Mr. Maclay said.

"Wait! Go?" Willow said as she grabs Tara's elbow. "I, she just did a spell that went wrong. It-it was just a mistake."

"That's not the point and it's not your concern. She belongs with us. We know how to control her ... problem." Willow looks at Tara in distress.

"Tara ... look at me." Tara does. "I, I trusted you more than anyone in my life. Was all that just a lie?"

"No!" Tara said teary eyed.

"Well, do you wanna leave?"

"It's not your decision, young lady." Mr. Maclay said.

"I know that!" Willow responded sharply to him. She turned back to Tara. "Do you wanna leave?" Tara shakes her head, crying.

"You're going to do what's right, Tara. Now, I'm taking you out of here before somebody 'does' get killed." Tara wipes her face on her sleeve. "The girl belongs with her family. I hope that's clear to the rest of you." Willow looks anxiously at Tara.

"It is." Buffy said narrowing her eyes at Tara. "You want her, Mr. Maclay? You can go ahead and take her." Tara looked sad, as if that's what she expected. Liam looked stunned as Mr. Maclay nodded in satisfaction. Buffy whirled around to face Mr. Maclay, putting her hands on her hips. "You just gotta go through me." Both Tara and Liam looked at her in amazement.

"What?"

"You heard her." Liam said and stood next to Buffy. "You want Tara, you gotta go through her, _and _me."

"And me!" Dawn said standing on Buffy's other side. All three give Mr. Maclay the same steely glare. Tara smiled.

"Is this a joke?" Mr. Maclay said stepping down one of the stairs.

"Does it look like we're laughing" Liam replied.

"I'm not gonna be threatened by two little girls and some boy who's trying to pass off as the_ Terminator_."

"You don't wanna mess with us." Dawn responded

"She's a hair-puller." Buffy explained.

"And you saw what I did to the demon." Liam said stepping forward and pulling his axe out of the demon. "And I dress like this out of respect for my father." Giles walks up behind them.

"And you're not just dealing with, uh, two little girls and a boy." Giles said. Tara smiles even more.

"You're dealing with all of us." Xander said.

"'Cept me." Spike chimed in

"'Cept Spike."

"I don't care what happens."

"This is insane." Mr. Maclay shouted. "You people have no right to interfere with Tara's affairs. 'We' ... are her blood kin! Who the hell are you?"

"We're family." Buffy said. Tara smiles through her tears. She looks at Willow, who smiles back. Mr. Maclay looked angry.

"Daaad." Donny said. "You - you gonna let 'em just..." He stomps forward. "Tara, if you don't get in that car, I swear by god I will beat you down."

And I swear by your full and manly beard, you're gonna break something trying." Xander said. Donny looks cowed.

"Well." Beth snapped. "I hope you'll all be happy hanging out with a disgusting demon." Anya raised her hand.

"E-excuse me. What kind?"

"What?"

"What kind of demon is she? There's a lot of different kinds. Some are very, very evil. And some have been considered to be useful members of society." Anya said smiling proudly. Xander turns to smile back at her.

"That's true." Liam said. "There are some who were cannibals and warriors that have tiered away from their past and now own successful restaurants, hotels, and karaoke bars." Buffy looked at him quizzically

"Well, I-I ... what does it matter?" Beth said.

"Demons are demons." Mr. Maclay snapped.

"I'm speaking for my father when I say 'I take offence to that'." Liam said.

"Ohhh." Spike said while looking like he just figured out something. "Why don't I make this simple." Spike walks forward and taps Tara on the shoulder. When she turns, he punches her in the face. Both Tara and Spike reel backwards in pain. Tara grabs her nose, Spike his head. "Oww!"

"Hey!" Willow said angrily then suddenly realizes what happened. "Hey..."

"He hit my nose!" Tara said while holding her nose with both hands.

"And it hurt! Uh, him, I mean." Tara looks at her in surprise.

"And that only works on humans." Buffy said. Willow smiles.

"There's no demon in there." Spike said rubbing his head. "That's just a family legend, am I right? Just a bit of spin to keep the ladies in line. Oh, you're a piece of work. I like you."

"Well Spike may like these people but I sure as hell, don't." Liam said angrily taking a step forward twirling his axe. "You lied to your own daughter, to your own flesh and blood family. After hearing what just happened, I realize that Tara and I have more in common then we both realize." Everyone looked at him. "We both believed we were part demon. In her case she isn't and I am. After my mother died, my father, who was part demon, cut me off from the world, just like you did with Tara. But unlike you…" he said pointing at Mr. Maclay with his axe and took another step forward. Mr. Maclay took a step back. "He did it out of love. You did it out of fear. And also, my father never once lied to me. He may have omitted some truth until I was older. But he never once lied to me." Mr. Maclay just stood there stunned. Tara and Willow smile hugely at each other. Buffy and Dawn were in identical poses side-by-side, with their arms crossed, their heads cocked at the same angle, and the same steely glare on both their faces. Giles stands behind them.

"Mr. Maclay, I would say your business here is finished."

"Tara." Mr. Maclay started. "For eighteen years your family has taken care of you and supported you. If you wanna turn your back…"

"Dad ..." Tara said stepping forward next to Liam. "Just go." Liam looked to her with a smile. Mr. Maclay scowls, turns and heads for the door. Donny follows. Mr. Maclay pauses at the door.

"Magic." He said disgustingly.

"So called Dads" Liam countered. Beth gives Tara a very dirty look.

"Are you happy now?" Beth said looking at her. A slow smile spreads across Tara's face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Everyone, minus Riley and Liam, were at the Bronze. It was Tara's party and everyone was having fun. They all gave her cheesy witch gifts, which Tara all loved. They all cracked jokes, told stories, played pool, and just had a good time. Buffy was leaning against a pole, watching the action with a smile. Behind her the door opens and Riley enters, with a gift box under his arm. He goes up to Buffy.

"Sorry I'm late." He says.

"You came." Buffy said smiling

"Of course I came." They kiss.

Xander, Buffy, Dawn and Giles were talking together. Riley comes over with three blue plastic cups, gives one to Buffy and one to Giles. Xander already had a cup. Dawn was sitting in front of the watching the crowd.

"This place is so cool." She said then looks at hand. "'Cept I have to wear this stupid stamp on my hand."

"That's to keep you from boozing it up." Xander replied.

"Oh please. Only losers drink alcohol." The others take this in looks at each other then set their cups down.

"So, Liam is a demon." Riley said continuing their previous conversation.

"Yes," Buffy confirmed. "But only part demon. He still has his human side and that's what he uses to help us." Riley didn't look any happier about the news.

"But he could still be a potential threat."

"He could be in league with this woman of yours." Xander said.

"Maybe." Buffy said going along with it. "But until he starts showing signs of being evil, No one is to touch him."

"But what will happen if we find out too late?" Riley asked.

"I have a feeling that that will never happen. With what Liam said to Tara's family, he seems more into helping others than killing the next person on the street."

The music suddenly ended and everyone looks to the stage and they saw Liam up on stage in boots, jeans, a white button down shirt, black blazer, his signature glasses, and a cowboy hat, holding a guitar.

"Hello everyone" he said into a headset he had on.

"What's he doing?" Xander asked.

"I don't know." Buffy replied.

"First, I'd like to say I'm sorry for interrupting your music and dancing," Liam went on. "But uh…tonight we are celebrating a really special birthday today. So I would like everyone to give a big hand to Miss Tara Maclay right there." He pointed to Tara and everyone applauded looking at her. Tara Smile and blushed while she waved. "I've only known Tara for several short weeks, and in that time I got to know that she is a very nice, gentle person. With a talent for the arts and smarts. She is truly a wonderful person to be around and I enjoy spending time with her." Every clapped in approval at Liam's words. Tara clapped too smiling. "Now it's time for her present. I could have given her a card, flowers, jewelry. But I wanted to give her something different. My mom told me one time that the best gift you can give to another is a memorable memory." This made Buffy smile, knowing he was using her own words. "I think the best memory at the moment is a song sung just for that person. Now I had a lot of trouble with this because, Tara is a great girl and there are a lot of great songs that could relate to Tara. But I had to decide and decided to go with a song from Tara's childhood that she loves so much. I'm going to do a little _Boot Scootin Boogie_." He started playing the guitar and the band started playing with him. Tara started to laugh because she knew the song she had told Liam that she listened to this song earlier. Everyone started clapping along with the beat.

_Out in the country past the city limit sign__  
__Well there's a honky tonk near the county line__  
__The joint starts jumpin' every night when the sun goes down__  
__They got whiskey, women music & smoke__  
__It's where all the cowboy folk go to boot scootin' boogie_

Liam jumped off stage and started walking to the center of dance floor while he was singing.__

_I've got a good job I work hard for my money__  
__When it's quittin' time I hit the door runnin'__  
__I fire up my pickup truck & let the horses run__  
__I go flyin' down that highway to that hideaway__  
__Stuck out in the woods to do the boot scootin' boogie___

_Yeah, heel, toe, dosey doe come on baby let's go boot scootin__  
__Oh, Cadillac, blackjack, baby meet me out back we're gonna boogie__  
__Oh get down, turn around go to town boot scootin' boogie_

He put the guitar behind his back, walked over to Tara and offered his hand. As the music played, they both danced a dance to it. Tara was smiling, enjoying herself. Liam then picked up Tara by the waist and started twirling her around. As he put her down and started to sing again she grabbed the head set and sang into it.__

_Bartender asks me, says girl what'll it be__  
__I want a shot of that redhead yonder lookin' at me_

Tara pointed to Willow and she came over and they started to dance again. Liam got the head set back and continued to sing.

_The dance floors hoppin' & it's hotter than the fourth of July_

The rest of the gang came out onto the dance floor.

___I see outlaws, inlaws, crooks & straights all out makin' it shake__  
__Doin' the boot scootin' boogie__  
_  
_Yeah, heel, toe, dosey doe come on baby let's go boot scootin__  
__Oh, Cadillac, blackjack, baby meet me outback we're gonna boogie__  
__Oh get down, turn around go to town boot scootin' boogie_

_Yeah, heel, toe, dosey doe come on baby let's go boot scootin _

_Oh, Cadillac, blackjack, baby meet me outback we're gonna boogie_

_Oh get down, turn around go to town boot scootin' boogie_

_I said get down, turn around go to town boot scootin boogie_

_Oh get down turn around go to town boot scootin boogie_

Liam finished the song and everyone cheered. He got off stage as a slow song started to play. Tara and Willow stayed where they were and danced some more. Liam gave the guitar back to the band. Buffy came over with a surprised look on her face.

"That was amazing. You never told me you could play the guitar, or even sing."

"You never asked." She playfully hit him. "I got a guitar for my sixth birthday and Oz taught me."

"Oz is there in the future?"

"With a beautiful wife." They both smiled. "So how is your night?"

"Great. Riley and Xander now know that your part demon and are little on edge about you even more."

"Kinda figured."

"Don't worry. I told them that until you show signs of being evil, you are off limits."

"That's great. I just hope that they can accept me for who I am soon."

"They will. Just give it sometime." They smiled again. "How did the band know what to play?"

"Magic" he smiled and looked to the crowd. "Which I believe is what's happening over there." He pointed and Buffy saw Willow and Tara turning and hovering above the ground. No one seemed to notice.

**There you go, Tara's birthday. The song was **_**Boot Scootin Boogie by Brooks and Dunn.**_** It was hard trying to find a good song for Liam to sing to Tara. Then I decided to be go with something that would make everyone see Tara in a new light. There are still some chapters to go before Angel, but it'll be worth the wait for what I have in store. Next chapter may be a combo off two episodes. We'll see. 'till next time.**


	10. Fool for LoveShadow

Chapter 10: Fool for Love/ Shadow

**So like I said, this chapter will be a combo of two episodes. This way, it'll be faster to get to Angel. The way I have it going, Angel will make his first true appearance in the chapter after next. So stay tuned. Enjoy. **

All was quiet in the mist-shrouded graveyard. Suddenly, the peace is shattered as Buffy pounds a vampire dressed like a Van Halen reject to the ground.

"You know, it's probably none of my business but I just gotta ask..." She said as the vampire lunges at her and she backhands it. "You smell this bad when you were alive?" She kicks the vampire into a headstone. "Cause if it's a post-mortem thing, then boy, is my face red..." She flips him over the headstone and whips out a stake. "But just so you know, the fast-growing field of personal grooming has come a long way since you became a vampire." Buffy somersaults over the headstone, stake raised and ready to strike. But the vampire seizes her arm as she lands, spins her around and plunges the stake into Buffy's abdomen. Her eyes go wide with shock and pain as she looks down at the stake protruding from her body. Buffy looks down in horror at the stake in her gut. She grips the shaft and, with a gasp of pain, pulls it out. Her sweater is soaked with her blood. For the first time in a long time, Buffy feels fear. She turns and flees, trying to escape the vampire. The hunter had become the hunted. Her wound slows her, however, and she casts terrified glances over her shoulder. Suddenly, the vampire leaps in front of her and she stops with a gasp, looking around desperately for an escape route.

"You're going?" he said. "But you were having so much fun a minute ago!" Buffy brings the stake up but the creature easily knocks it from her grasp and tosses her against a nearby crypt. She doubles over in pain as the vampire picks up her stake and approaches with a predatory grin. Buffy is helpless. She realizes that this is the moment she's been dreading but always knew would come. She's going to die. She wasn't going to have Liam or Kathy. She wasn't going to be with Angel. As the vampire raises the stake for the killing blow, he's suddenly tackled to the ground by Liam. He rains blows down on the demon and takes out a stake but the vampire knocks it from his hand before he can use it and takes off across the graveyard. Liam is about to give chase when he notices Buffy's obvious distress and rushes to her aid.

"Mom! What happened?" He said concerned.

"Buffy!" came the voice of Riley. He runs over to them and tackles Liam to the ground. He grabs Liam by the collar and starts to beat him. "What did you do?" he said angrily as he stopped.

"I didn't. A vampire did. Now if you don't get off of me, Buffy will die and that vampire will get a way." Riley reluctantly let go of him and Liam got up. "You take care of Buffy. The vamps mine." With that he ran off in the direction of the vampire. Riley looked to Buffy and ran over to her aid.

"What happened?" he said. Buffy held up her bloody hands, then collapsed in his arms, unconscious.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X

Riley was applying first aid and dressing Buffy's wound. It was day and they were in Buffy's room.

"I can't believe I passed out." She said embarrassed. "Do you think I'm a total wuss now?"

"Oh, yeah." He said back. "I like a girl who can play a few hard sets of tennis with a major stab wound."

"You said it wasn't that bad."

"I said I've seen worse. There's a difference."

"Well, at least no major organs got kebabed."

"I still think you need to see a real doctor."

"That would put me in a real hospital which would get my real mom real freaked out. I can't do it. Don't worry. Accelerated healing powers come with the Slayer package. And the boyfriend who comes complete with combat medical training? That's just a Buffy Summers bonus."

"Are you sure that it wasn't Liam who did this?"

"I'm sure. It's was a vampire and he happened to come along and save me from being more kebabed."

"Only one vampire?" he sounded surprised.

"Only one."

"So... what? He was like a super-vampire or something?"

"No, he was the regular kind. He just beat me."

"That ever happen before?"

"I'm in the best physical shape of my life. I mean, if you're asking how it happened, I don't…" The door flies open and Liam runs in. "Liam."

"Liam" Riley said looking distasteful.

"Hey you guys." He said as he closed the door. "Lost the vamp that did that to you. That usually never happens."

"Why…because you rely on you demon powers to guide you towards your demon buddies."

"Riley" Buffy said frustrated. "That's enough. And like I said before, he's only half-demon."

"And half-demons stick together more than pure demons" Liam said. "We're outcasts. Half-breeds. The pure demons don't even want to have anything to do with us. Some want to exterminate us."

"You see." Buffy said looking at Riley. "He's just as much of a target as we are to the demons." Riley didn't look convinced. The door flies open again and Dawn comes into the room. "Dawn!"

"Sorry to interrupt the sex-capades." Dawn said then notices Liam in the room. "Oh….Hi Liam" she said with a smile and waves.

"Hi Dawn." He said and waved back. She giggles

"Why are you here?" Buffy asked impatiently.

"I just wanted to tell you that Mom's coming." Dawn said. Riley hides the bandages and tape just as Joyce enters the room.

"Hi, Riley." She said

"Hey, Mrs. Summers." He replies. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm fine, bordering on chipper and tomorrow planning on being obnoxious."

"Glad to hear it." Liam said smiling.

"Liam." Joyce said turning to him looking surprised. "I didn't know you were here."

"Stopped by for a talk. And maybe for some more of that coffee you have."

"Well I can make you some if you want."

"Maybe in a little bit."

"Well….Buffy, when you have a minute I'd like to go over the grocery list for next week."

"You got it." Buffy said, hoping to get her out of the room. Joyce noticed the bottle of alcohol that Riley forgot to hide.

"Are you disinfecting something?"

"Huh? Oh, uh…"

"Mine!" Dawn piped up and grabbed the bottle. "Some nail polish experiments are doomed before they even begin."

"But you keep pushing the envelope, honey." Joyce smiles and leaves, closing the bedroom door behind her. Dawn smiles and turns to Buffy.

"Did I just pull a Slayer-related Mom cover-up thing? Come on, who's the man?"

"Dawns the man" Liam said snickering.

"Yes you are." Buffy admitted. "A very short, annoying man." Stung, Dawn's smile fades. "If I show you something, you promise you won't tell?" Dawn crosses her heart and Buffy lifts her shirt to reveal the bandaged stab wound. Dawn is awed.

"Oh, cool!" she said. "I mean, gross!"

"And Mom cannot know. Okay? You'll help me with the household stuff?"

"Oh, sure. I save your butt and you dump all your chores on me." Buffy looked at her. "I got it. You're covered. We're good. Just lucky it's not bikini season." Buffy smiles and strokes Dawn's hair.

"So Dawn takes household duty." Riley began. "I'll take tonight's patrol."

"By yourself?" Buffy said.

"Just a sweep."

"Do me a favor? Will you take the gang along with?"

"Okay. I will patrol with the group tonight." He looked to Liam. "Does he have to come too?"

"Its fine." he said before Buffy could say anything. "I'm all tired out anyway from last night searching for the vamp."

"When do I get to patrol?" Dawn asked.

"Not until you're never." Buffy answered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX

Buffy and Liam were at the magic shop. Liam was drinking coffee while Buffy and Giles were deep into research.

"Here's another one." Giles aid looking at a book in his hand. "Early 18th Century Slayer." Buffy closes her book with a sigh and sets it on the stack of books on the table.

"Good." She said. "Let's hope she'll be more helpful than this last one."

"Why? What does it say?" Liam said.

"Same as all the others. Slayer called... blah, blah... great protector... blah, blah... scary battles... blah, blah... oops! She's dead. Where are the details?"

"Details?" Giles asked. "Well, it says this Slayer forged her own weapons." He hands the book to Buffy.

"Gotta love a gal with an anvil. But where are the details of the Slayer's last battle? You know, what made that fight special? Why did she lose?"

"You didn't lose last night, mom. You just…" Liam began but was cut off by Buffy.

"Got really close. I slipped up. I've been training harder than ever and still I... And there's nothing in any of these books to help me understand why. I mean... look, I realize that every Slayer comes with an expiration mark on the package. But I want mine to be a long time from now. Like a Cheeto. I want to be able to get married to Angel. I want to have my children. I want to see them grow up. If there were just a few good descriptions of what took out the other Slayers, maybe it would help me to understand my mistake, to keep it from happening again." She turned to face Liam. "Tell me again about how I died." Liam coughed as he was drinking his coffee.

"That's not a subject I want to discuss mom." He said putting the cup down.

"Just tell me how I died. Details." He sighed in frustration and turned to her.

"You wanna know again? Fine. You told me to stay put behind crates. I came out and called to you when a guy was sneaking up on you. You killed him, ran to me, and you were shot. You were more into protecting me than what was going on around you. So there, you were distracted by your son. You happy?" he said angrily and slammed his fists on the table in frustration. He was trying hard to fight back tears.

"I'm sorry" she said apologetically. "I know it hurts, but I need to know so that I don't make those mistakes again. And I was completely focused on the vampire." She turned back to the table. "I need to know how others died so I don't make their mistakes."

"Yes, well," Giles began. "The problem is after a final battle, it's difficult to get any... well, the Slayer's not... she's rather..."

"It's okay to use the D-word, Giles."

"Dead. And hence not very forthcoming."

"Why didn't the Watchers keep fuller accounts of it? The journals just stop."

"Well, I suppose if they're anything like me, they just find the whole subject too…"

"Unseemly? Damn. Love ya but you Watchers are such prigs sometimes."

"Painful..." Liam said irritated crossing his arms. "He was going to say painful. If any the watchers were like him, they cared for their slayer and thought her death was too painful to write about. That or they died too." Buffy looked at him with an apologetic look again.

"But you're right." Giles said. "Accounts of the final battles would be very helpful. But there's no one left to tell the tales." Buffy suddenly had a revelation. "What?"

"Gotta go." she said and left the shop.

"I wonder what that was all about?"

"You just gave her an idea to go to a person that was there when the slayer died." Liam said getting up.

"Who's still alive to tell the tale?"

"Not alive." Liam said and followed Buffy out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Liam followed Buffy to Spikes crypt but didn't go in. He was going to spy on them. However he wasn't interested in his mother, but rather the vampire she was with. They came out a few minutes later and Liam followed from a good distance so as to not attract any attention. If he lost them, he had their scents and he could follow that. He followed them to the Bronze and hid in the shadows away from them. They sat in a dark corner and began to talk. Liam had mastered the art of blocking out sounds and concentrating on a particular sound. His father had taught him that move. As he concentrated, he heard Buffy ask Spike about the slayer's he killed. Liam didn't necessarily need to hear what Spike was going to say because he told him the stories in the future. Spike asked Buffy to get him a plate of Buffalo wings and ate them before moving to the pool table. He was telling her about how he was made into a vampire by Drusilla and his time as a vampire with Drusilla, Darla, and Angelus. He told her about how Angelus mentioned the slayer and how he became obsessed. Buffy asked how he killed her and Spike grabbed her neck. Buffy motioned for the pool stick and Liam was about to run over and grab him, but remembered why he was here and stood his ground in the shadows listening. He releases her and starts playing pool again. He told the story of how he killed the Chinese slayer in the Boxer Rebellion and that a slayer must always grab for her weapon. But the demons already have theirs.

Spiked finished the first lesson, picked up the pool cue and headed outside. Liam took the back way out, not wanting to reveal himself. He got out and jumped up, grabbing the ledge of the next building and pulled himself up. He walked along the edge until he saw Spike and Buffy talking outside the Bronze. He made sure that they wouldn't see him. Spike was giving Buffy and hands on account of how he killed the slayer in New York. He got to where he was about to finish her off and told Buffy the rest of the second lesson. Liam listened in.

"That final gasp." Spike said. "That look of peace. Part of you is desperate to know: What's it like? Where does it lead you? And now you see, that's the secret. Not the punch you didn't throw or the kicks you didn't land. Every Slayer... has a death wish. Even you." Spike stands up and faces Buffy. "The only reason you've lasted as long as you have is you've got ties to the world... your mum, your brat kid sister, the Scoobies. They all tie you here but you're just putting off the inevitable. Sooner or later, you're gonna want it. And the second- the second- that happens..." Spike claps his hands together inches from Buffy's face. "You know I'll be there. I'll slip in... have myself a real good day." He stares intently into Buffy's eyes, then steps back. "Here endeth the lesson. I just wonder if you'll like it as much as she did.

"Get out of my sight. Now." Buffy said coldly.

"Oh... did I scare ya? You're the Slayer. Do something about it. Hit me. Come on. One good swing. You know you want to."

"I mean it."

"So do I. Give it me good, Buffy. Do it!"

"Spike..." His passion aroused, Spike leans in to kiss her. She backs away in horror. "What the hell are you doing?" He grabs Buffy by the arms, his words coming in a breathless pant.

"Come on. I can feel it, Slayer. You know you want to dance."

"Say it's true. Say I do want to." She shoves him to the ground and looks down at him with disgust. "It wouldn't be you, Spike. It would never be you." She tosses a wad of cash at him contemptuously. "You're beneath me." Buffy turns and walks off into the night, leaving Spike alone in the dark alley. He begins to gather up the money, stifling a sob. As Buffy's words ring down through the years, he becomes the same spurned and awkward young man he once was. Her words have hurt him more than her blows ever have. He closes his eyes in anguish, takes a deep breath, and when he looks up again, only murderous hate remains. Liam observed all this from his perch above. He got up and left, knowing what was going to happen next.

Liam followed Spike to his crypt and waited. Spike came out a few minutes later with a shotgun. Liam knew what he was going to do, but he wasn't going to interfere. He followed Spike back to Buffy's house in the backyard and activates his Optical Camo Suit. He becomes camouflaged and waits a little ways away watching Spike. The back door opens and Buffy walks out and sits down on the back steps. She is terrified for her mother, her eyes brimming with tears. She puts her head in her lap and sobs uncontrollably. Spike watches her from the bushes, then moves forward, striding purposefully toward her, gun at his side. He raises the gun and cocks it. Buffy looks up at the sound, her face wet with tears.

"What do you want now?" she says with tears in her eyes. Spike was about to pull the trigger when he sees her tears and through them, her pain. His rage vanishes in an instant.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"I don't want to talk about it." Spike lowers the gun.

"Is there something I can do?" Buffy says nothing, the reality of her mother's situation hitting her like a steel weight, overcoming her. Spike sits down next to her and tentatively pats her back, trying to comfort her. She lets him. Liam sees this happening. He turns and walks out of the backyard, careful not to attract their attention. As he gets on the streets of Sunnydale, he turns off his suit and reappears. He walks some more as thoughts play in his head. Spike is in love with Buffy now. But Liam had planned to get his parents together. He knew he would reach this point eventually, but he planned on having a plan in motion by now. But he didn't. Spending so much time with his mother distracted him from his planning. How was he going to bring his parents together _and _deal with Spike at the same time? After what he had told him in the future, how was he going to fix all this? He thought about it all the way to his apartment. If he was going to bring his parents together and stop the impending apocalypse, he would have to tell him. Liam would have to tell Spike that he was from the future, that Angel and Buffy were his parents, and that Spike was not going to end up with Buffy in the end. There was a certain girl they all knew, that would take Buffy's spot in his life. He just hoped that he could get to her and Spike in time before it was too late.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Joyce was lying on a CAT scan machine, wearing a hospital gown. The machine makes noises as the part Joyce was laying on slides into it. She closes her eyes. Outside in the waiting room, Dawn was fiddling with a bracelet on her right wrist. Buffy came over to her and gives her soda. She sits down next to her and opens her own can.

"What is a CAT scan exactly?" Dawn asks.

"I don't know." Buffy responded. "It's some ... x-ray, I guess."

"Where do they get the CAT scan from? I mean, do they test it on cats or ... or does the machine sort of look like a cat?"

"Dawn, I'm really..." She stops herself as Dawn gives her an apprehensive look. Buffy puts her arm around Dawn and brings Dawn's head to rest on her shoulder. She kisses the top of her head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was day and Liam had just arrived at Buffy's house. As he approaches the front door, he finds it slightly ajar. He knocks and walks in.

"Hello? Buffy?" he says. He looks around and notices a blanket on the floor and picks it up. It smelled of Spike. He looks up the stairs, drops the blanket and starts up the stairs. Spike was in Buffy's room holding a pink sweater up to his face and inhaling deeply. He lowers the sweater, sighing happily, then takes another sniff as Liam appears behind him. "You know…" he begins and Spike whirled around to face him. He quickly hides the sweater behind his back. "A true gentleman would buy clothes for the women instead of inhaling her scent from the ones she already has."

"What?" Spike started. "I wasn't um ... uh ... what are 'you' doing here?"

"Actually" Liam said stepping into room his hands in his coat pockets. "I'm looking for you." He thought now would be a good time.

"Me? What for?"

"Well I wanted to talk to you." Liam said taking a few more steps forward.

"Yeah. About what?" Liam glances down, makes a move toward Spike's hands. Spike flinches backward and tries to maneuver so Liam can't see what he's holding.

"You were smelling Buffy's sweater." Liam stated. Spike scoffs at him.

"No I wasn't." Liam just looks at him. "Well, yeah, all right, I was. It's a ... predator thing, nothin' wrong with it. Just ... know your enemy's scent, whet the appetite for a hunt." He sniffs the sweater again "Ah, that's the stuff! Slayer musk, it's bitter and aggravating!" Spike presses the sweater against his face and makes angry growling noises. Liam just rolls his eyes.

"Look Spike, I'm not her to stop you." Spike stops his smelling and looks at him confused.

"You're not?"

"Well…OK that's a lie, but I need to talk to you. And we don't have a lot of time." Liam takes his sunglasses off and looks at Spike. Spike looks at him.

"Hey. You look a lot like…." Before he could finish, Liam protrudes a stake from his free hand and stabs Spike in the heart. There was a flash of light and then Spike and Liam were standing in Buffy's room, but the atmosphere was all dark blue. Liam takes the stake out of Spike and Spike yells in pain. "Owww! Ow! Wait." he realizes that he wasn't dead and looks around at the changed scenery. "Uh…Where are we?"

"Well…technically we're still in Buffy's room. But we aren't in that reality."

"So where the bloody hell are we? And why did you stake me and I didn't turn to dust? And did you know that you look a lot like my sire?"

"Spike calm down. Ok. I'll answer your questions. In order if you prefer."

"Ok" Spike looked at him, not sure that he was telling him everything.

"We are in limbo. Or a version of limbo anyway. It's my own design." Liam started pacing the room. "A nifty spell. For you to enter, that's easy. Just have the spell ready. For another to enter well….that's tricky. You have to 'kill'" he put air quotes around 'kill'. "The person you want to come in. In this case, a stake through your heart."

"Ok…So why the bloody hell am I in limbo" Spike yelled.

"Because…In this place, you don't die, unless you choose to. And you can spend an eternity here, while only a second passes on earth. Or reality since we are on earth."

"Again begs the question. Why am I here?"

"Because Spike….You are in love with Buffy. And I can't let you be." Spike scoffed and pretended to laugh as if it was a lie.

"Me...In love with the slayer…You're insane."

"She loves you too" This got Spikes attention.

"Really?"

"Well not now, but she will." Liam stood in front of Spike. "Spike, you and Buffy will love each other, but you'll never be _in_ love with each other. She's already taken."

"And how do you know all this?"

"Because, I'm from the future. I know Buffy there and she is with someone else."

"You're from the future?

"Yeah, I came back to stop an apocalypse in my time that we can't stop. I also came back to get Buffy with the one she loves."

"Me?"

"No."

"Who? Soldier boy?"

"Not him. My dad."

"Who's your dad?" Spike looked even more confused. Liam stood even closer to Spike.

"Take a good look at me." Spike looked at Liam not really seeing why. Then he realized something about Liam and looked harder. He took a step back in disbelief.

"Angel! Angel is your dad?"

"Yeah. And Buffy is my mother." This got Spike really angry.

"The bleedin poof actually gets the girl and a family" he yelled walking around the room throwing his arms in the air. "Typical, just bloody typical. Everything I want, HE takes."

"Spike calm down. I know you in the future too, and you actually have a good life. You get a wife and happiness." Spike whirled around at him looking surprised.

"Really? A wife?"

"Yeah."

"Who?"

"Well…I could tell you…" Liam said while stepping forward. "But I think I'll show you." He raised his hand, about to touch Spike on the shoulder but hesitates. "May I?" Spikes nods cautiously and Liam places his hand on Spike shoulder. There was another flash of light and they were standing in a church full of people. It looked like a wedding was about to start.

"OK…" Spike said looking around. "Where are we know?"

"One of my memories. You see, in limbo, we can experience all of our memories. Even those that we don't really remember. Cool hunh?"

"Yeah, cool. Still haven't answered my question."

"We are at one of the most happiest moments of your life in the future." He pointed to the altar and Spike saw himself standing there in a tux and his hair was combed and it wasn't bleach.

"Oh God. What the hell is happening?"

"Your wedding day. Recognize the handsome devil behind you?" Spike looks and saw Angel standing there, also in a tux. He was the best man.

"Angel is my best man?"

"Yeah, you guys get along in the future. You're more like brothers than rivals. You were even the one to ask him."

"Me? ask him? In a million years and then some."

"Who else would you ask?" Spike was about to speak then stopped as he really didn't have an answer. "Watch." Liam pointed back to tux Spike.

"God I am so nervous." Tux Spike said.

"Hey." Tux Angel said grabbing his shoulders. "You'll be fine. I just got a text from Buffy. She said she is going through with it. You should be happy." Tux Spike turned to tux Angel.

"But Angel, this is one of the most important moments in my life. I don't know how to get through it." Tux Spike was breathing in and out as if he was having a panic attack.

"Spike. Everything will be fine. All you have to do is wait for her here, hold her hand, say 'I do', and kiss her. I did it. You always wanted to outdo me in everything. You can do this. I know you can. You're strong."

"Yeah" tux spike said calming down. "You're right. I'm strong." He turned back to the altar. "I'm strong." He turned back to tux Angel. "How's my hair?"

"It's fine. She's not going to notice the hair. She'll notice you."

"Oh God. How's the tux?"

"It's fine." Tux Angel turned tux Spike back into position. "Just relax, I'll help you through it."

"Right. Thanks mate. How's the hair?"

"Oh god" Spike said. "I'm a bumbling idiot."

"You're getting married" Liam said. "Nobody is truly ready for their wedding day. Dad said that he was more nervous then you were."

"Yeah? Say, where are you?" Liam pointed towards the front row where the rest of the Scoobies sat and Willow had a baby boy in her arms and a man, who looked like Angel with blue eyes, sat next to her with a baby girl.

"I'm in Willows arms"_ 'Here comes the bride' _music started to play and everyone in the church turned towards the entrance. An older Dawn came walking down the aisle in a beautiful purple dress.

"Nibblet?"

"Bridesmaid." Next Buffy came down the aisle wearing a fabulous yellow dress with a sash around the waist.

"Buffy" Spike breathed.

"Maid of Honor. Now here comes your future wife." A woman with brunette hair, in a white wedding dress came walking down the aisle smiling towards tux Spike.

"My God, she's beautiful" both Spikes said in unison.

"Yes she is." Both Liam and tux Angel said together. Spike recognized the woman he was marrying.

"Hey. I know that girl" he turned to Liam. "Isn't she…."

"Yup. A match made in heaven. Or hell as some called it." There was another flash of light and Liam and Spike stood in Buffy's room again. "So there you have it Spike. You and my mom aren't supposed to be together. But you do end up with a really great woman. And you two become my favorite aunt and uncle."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Now I'm telling this to you Spike because I need you to stop being in love with my mom and start being in love with your future wife."

"Uh…I don't think you know your history. That girl I'm supposed to marry, she's…."

"I know" Liam interrupted. "I have a plan to get her here and free. It's just going to take some time."

"How much?"

"Don't know. If all goes well, she'll be here by the start of the summer."

"Great. So I gotta wait seven to eight months for my future honey."

"Hey. It'll all be worth it in the end."

"So. I get my own girl. Angel gets his and a family. What else do I get?"

"That chip out of your head."

"What? That chip will be out?" Spike looked more please than ever. "Thank you whoever is watching over me." he said to the sky.

"Whoa, Spike listen. The only way that future will come about is if you keep on doing what you're doing now. Helping my mom and the Scoobies with the demons on the Hellmouth. That's the only way you are going to even get that girl in your future. And I am her ticket here if you want her. And she will probably be the one to get that chip out." Spike looked at him all serious now. Liam gave him a look that said' don't test me.'

"OK future boy. You got yourself a deal. I help your mum, you get my future honey here, and I get this sodding chip out of my head."

"You'll get that, and more. Trust me."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Look, I've already said too much. Spike you have to keep what I've told you a secret. No one else can know. Ok?" Spike pondered for bit.

"Ok." They both shook hands and there was another flash of light. They were still in Buffy's room, but the atmosphere was back to normal. Liam had his sunglasses on and Spike had Buffy's sweater in his hands.

"What are you two doing in here?" They turned to see Riley at the door. Spike quickly shoves the sweater to Liam and walks past him.

"Wouldn't you believe it? I was taking a stroll when I saw this guy come into Buffy's house and he was sniffin through her drawers." Liam rolled his eyes. Riley did not look convinced. He grabs Spike by the front of his shirt and points to Liam, still holding the sweater.

"Out." Liam puts the sweater down and walks out of the room. Riley hurries down the stairs, pulling Spike after him.

"Hey, watch it! Easy, you're bruising the leather!" They reach the bottom of the stairs and Riley lets go of Spike. "Look. I know for a bleeding fact the Slayer wouldn't mind us being here."

"Right. What's a little sweater-sniffing between sworn enemies."

"Hey, I'm not an enemy." Liam said.

"She thinks" Riley retorted.

"Hey Captain Cardboard. Your girl in the habit of buying her enemies drinks? 'Cause she spent the better part of last night with me, doing just that. "Spike said smugly.

"'Cause you guys are such tight pals."

"Yeah."

"That's good. Tell me another."

"Okay, how 'bout this one."

"Spike." Liam warned but Spike kept going.

"Twice in recent memory, she's had the lover-wiccas do a deinvite on the house. Keep out specific vamps. Ever ask yourself why she's never taken my name off the guest list?" Riley falters for a moment.

"Because you're harmless." He says.

"Oh yeah, right." Spike scoffs. "Takes one to know, I suppose. Least I still got the attitude. What do you got, a piercing glance?"

"Spike!" Liam warned again, but it didn't help.

"Face it, white bread. Buffy's got a type, and you're not it. She likes us dangerous, rough, occasionally bumpy in the forehead region. Not that she doesn't like you ... but sorry Charlie, you're just not dark enough." Riley scowls, grabs Spike, opens the door and thrusts Spike out into the sunlight.

"Hey ... Hey! Hey! Hey!" Liam said trying to drag them back in but Riley kicks him away.

"Am I dark enough for you now?" Riley says while holding in sunlight.

"Bloody pull me back in, you sod, I'm starting to sizzle!" Spike yelled.

"You don't know anything about Buffy, you never did. I'm the one who knows what she needs."

"Oh yeah? That's why you're with her at hospital right now, giving her what she needs." Riley pulls Spike back inside.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't you know, didn't she tell you?"

"You tell me."

"Spike!" Liam said as he got back up. "I'm warning you, shut up."

"Mum's sickly." Spike said. "Buffy took her to the hospital for a bit of prod 'n probe. Bite-sized one went too. You know, it's-it's funny her not calling you about that. I've known since last night." Riley grabs Spike and shoves him outside. "Blanket! Blanket!" Liam grabs the blanket and runs out. Riley closes the door and leans against the banister looking conflicted. Liam put the blanket over Spike and ushered him to his car. They got in and Spike took the blanket off, but tried to put it back on when he realized that the windows weren't blacked out. He quickly realized again, that he wasn't burning up. "What's goin on?"

"Necro-Tempered Glass. Keeps vampires from burning up but still allows them to enjoy sunlight."

"Nifty. Your invention too?"

"Nah. Stole it from a law firm. And what the hell was that in there?"

"What? Just tryin to help. After all, he isn't the one mummy is goin to marry."

"I know that. She knows that. But you didn't have to be all snobbishly British."

"Whatever." Spike leaned back in the seat while Liam started the car and drove Spike back to his crypt.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at the Magic Box, the rest of the gang was in research mode. But their research was getting them nowhere. Anya is looking through a pile of receipts. Liam walks into the shop.

"Hey you guys." The rest of them waved. "Any news on the demon girl front?"

"Well Tara has suggested that this woman could possibly be older than written language." Giles said.

"Which means no more reading for us." Xander smiled.

"Then why the hell are you smiling?" Liam said. Xander dropped his smile. "If this demon chick is older than written language, than that means she could be as old as the Old Ones."

"The Old Ones?" Tara asked.

"Yeah. The oldest demons that were here on earth before man. Which means she's extremely powerful, and extremely dangerous. There probably isn't a way to kill her."

"Now I'm wishing we could read again." Xander said hopefully. Suddenly Anya stops looking through the receipts and stares at one.

"Hey." She said. "Hey!" louder. "HEY!" she shouted. Xander turns to look at her. She holds up the receipt and waves it as Giles, Willow and Tara come rushing over. Giles wears a large false smile. "HEY!"

"Anya, your heys are startling the customers." Giles said.

"And-and pretty much the state." Xander said

"You sold someone a Khul's amulet and a Sobekian bloodstone." Anya said still holding the receipt.

"He did what?" Liam said looking up surprised.

"Yes, I believe I did." Giles said while taking the receipt and examining it.

"Are you stupid or something?" Anya said

"Allow me to answer that question with a firing."

"She's kidding!" Xander defended his girlfriend. "An, we talked about the employee-employer vocabulary no-nos. That was number five. Anya grabs receipt back from Giles.

"You never sell these things together, ever! Bad news! Don't you know about the Sobekites?" she said.

"Oh! I do." Willow said. "It was an ancient Egyptian cult, heavy into dark magic."

"And the Khul's amulet, wasn't that a transmogrification conduit?" Tara added

"Damn straight!" Liam said.

"Be that as it may," Giles said. "I still see no reason for concern. I mean, the-the Sobekian transmogrification spells were lost thousands of years ago. And besides, the young woman to whom I sold them would have to have had enormous power…" he suddenly stops

"Young woman?" Willow said quietly

"Oh, dear lord."

"You jack-ass." Liam said standing up and looking at Giles. "I bet if you caught the Golden Goose, you'd boil it for breakfast." Everyone looked alarmed except Xander, who looked confused.

"What?" Xander asked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later in the magic shop, Buffy had come explaining her mother had a brain tumor and she wanted magical help.

"So I figured there has to be some kind of mystical cure, right? I mean, like a, a potion, or a spell or something. We have to look." She said hoping for a good answer. Anya, Xander, Tara, Buffy, Liam, and Willow were sitting at the table and Giles stood leaning against it.

"We can look ... "Willow said trying to sound encouraging. "I mean, we will, but ... I haven't seen anything."

"But you won't find anything." Liam said. Buffy looked at him in disbelief. He wasn't going to try and save his own grandmother. "The truth is Buffy, mystical and medical aren't things that are supposed to mix. The human mind is very delicate. Too much can go wrong.

"Yeah," Tara said. "I've heard stories about people trying healing spells ... if we did something, it could make things a lot worse."

"We've done just about enough making things worse for one day, haven't we?" Anya deadpanned. Everyone looked guilty except Buffy, who looked confused.

"Why? What do you mean?" Buffy aksed.

"Uh, nothing." Xander said. "Anya broke a ... bippity boppity boo. A thing. Don't worry about it."

"Giles sold the demon woman you fought a transmogrification amulet and a bloodstone." Liam said.

"That can create a monster." Anya added. Buffy looked at Giles accusingly.

"In my defense…" Giles said. "I, I, I... I didn't know it was her! I mean, how could I?" he sighed. "If it's any consolation, I may have overcharged her."

"Anya and Liam figured out what the demon lady's up to." Tara said.

"Yeah," Anya began a few thousand years ago there was this cult, the temple of Sobek.

"Sobek." Buffy said.

"Reptile demon." Liam added. "Sobekites were reptile worshippers. Their high priest Khul had great mystic powers. He forged an amulet with transmogrifying crystal."

"Transmogrifying is changing a living thing into a different kind of thing." Willow said.

"We've managed to decipher the markings that were on the bloodstone that I sold" Giles said. "Um, cobra. She's going to transmogrify a cobra."

"Okay, so she's making a monster. What for? What does it do?"

"That's the part we're working on it."

"Well, you keep working on it I'll go kill it." she got up to leave.

"Buffy?" she turned around

"What? I'm going."

"Buffy," Xander started. "This chick creamed you last time."

"That's because I wasn't ready for her last time. I am now."

"But you…"Willow began but Buffy cut her off.

"But what? Will, I can't just sit here. I have to do something." With that, she left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Buffy called the shop later and told Giles that the demon chick brought forth a giant snake. Not mayor giant, but giant. The whole gang, including Dawn, minus Riley, were there just trying to productive. A customer exited holding a bag. Buffy walked up to the door, pauses, and entered. In the shop, everyone was tired. Giles was yawning as he put on his suit jacket. Willow was at the counter reading a book, looking tired. Liam was drinking another cup of coffee. Buffy walked in, Dawn saw her and jumped up from the table. She walked quickly over to Buffy and they hug.

"Is she awake yet?" she asks concerned.

"Yeah. She's waiting for us." Buffy replied weakly. Dawn pulled back to look Buffy in the face.

"Can we take her home now?" Buffy tried to smile and brushed hair back from Dawn's face.

"We'll see. Go get your stuff." Willow, Liam, and Giles watched with concern. Dawn turned away to gather her stuff. Buffy sighed then went over to Giles ,Liam and Willow. So, any monster reptile sightings?

"None." Giles said

Willow, Tara, and I did a mini-patrol earlier, but no sign of …" Liam was cut off as the snake creature suddenly bursts in through the display window. Everyone turned as it slithered inside and rears up, looking at them. Dawn was in the forefront. The snake smacks a display case with one arm and it topples over onto Buffy and Liam, knocking them to the floor. The snake moves toward Dawn, who screams continuously as it looms over her. Its eyes glow red again. Dawn continues screaming as Buffy and Liam struggled to get out from under the case, and the snake stared at Dawn. Then it turned and slithered quickly back out the way it came in. Tara and Willow get up from behind the counter as Xander rushed over to Dawn.

"Dawn, you okay?" he asked

"Why was the big snake afraid of Dawn?" Willow also asked. Giles rushes up to Buffy and Liam as they free themselves from under the case and stand up.

"It knows!" Buffy whispered to them.

"Run." Liam said and they turned and ran out. Giles ran after them. The snake moved down an alley with Buffy and Liam running after it. They turned as Giles' convertible comes around the corner and screeches to a stop beside them. They jumped in and Giles burned rubber after the creature. As they round a corner, the creature used its tail to shove a dumpster out into the car's path. Giles swerved to avoid it and crashed into a pile of garbage bags. Giles struggled to shift into reverse.

"I've gotta stop this monster before it gets back to Glory." Buffy stated.

"Glory?" Giles and Liam asked.

"That's what he called her. Giles, she's gonna know Dawn's the key if we don't…"

"We will." He said as he backed the car out and they resumed the chase. The snake slithered down darkened streets with Giles' car in pursuit. They careened around a corner and nearly slammed into another car.

"Can't this piece of crap car go any faster?" Liam yelled.

"I'm doing the best I can. And it's not 'a piece of crap' car."

"It's German." The snake tears down a section of fence that's covered with a tarp, and moves off past it as Giles' car passes the fence with a screech of tires. Giles reverses back, and Buffy and Liam leaped out of the car and ran through the broken fence, past picnic tables, across a wide expanse of grass. Buffy was running across the grass after the snake; she seems to be tiring. Liam had more energy and ran faster, pulling out his knife and axe. The creature knocked over a sign reading "Bike path, closed after dusk." Buffy paused to grab a piece of chain from another section of fence as the snake fled into a more wooded area. Liam launches himself on to the creatures back and stabs it with both knife and axe. The creature flailed around, sending him flying off and crashing into a nearby tree. Buffy leaped up onto a large rock as the snake passed around it. She leaped off the rock and lands on the snake's back, looping the chain around its neck. The snake rears up and thrashes, trying to throw her off, but she holds on, tightening the chain around its neck and riding it like a wild horse. It bucks and fights but finally goes still as a gray film comes down over its eyes. Buffy frowns and lets go of the chain, which drops to the ground. Suddenly the gray film slides aside and the snake rears up again, throwing Buffy off. She flies backward and lands on her back in the grass. The snake turns to growl at her as she gets up. She punches it in the face, making it reel backward. She climbs on top of it and begins punching it in the face, over and over. We see the tip of its tail thrashing and finally lying still as the creature dies. Buffy continues to punch it, grunting with each blow. Liam sees this and goes over to her as she continues to punch.

"Mom" he said but Buffy didn't stop. "Mom" he tried a gain and grabbed her hands, but she wasn't relenting. This was just like when Liam was killing Pessimus. "Mom it's over." He yelled and she stopped and started to cry. Liam pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "It's ok mom. It's going to be ok." He held her as she cried.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy was in the hospital with Dawn, Liam, and her mother. She had entered Joyce's room, wanting to talk to her first.

"You want me to stay?" she asks.

"No, I'm fine." Joyce said. "I-I think I should ... talk to Dawn alone."

"Okay." Buffy nodded

"Oh. Do I have bad hair?" she puts hands to her head. "I don't look like scary mom, do I?" Buffy smiled.

"No. You look beautiful." She brushes some hair back from Joyce's forehead. Joyce smiles bravely.

"Okay. Let's do this." Buffy turned, goes to the door and lets Dawn in. Dawn smiles nervously and walked over to hug Joyce. Buffy paused in the doorway to watch them embrace.

"Mom" Liam said. He was leaning on the wall beside Joyce's door. Buffy turned to him with a scared look on her face.

"I know…" she began. "I know that there something's you can't tell me but…"

"I don't know."

"What?"

"I don't know the outcome of your mother. Remember. Dad cut me off from the world. That included family. I didn't officially meet Dawn until I was in high school. Some of the Gang I have never met before. It's possible that your mother is alive and well in some part of the world or dead. I don't know. And believe me when I say this, it kills me that I can't do anything. I'm the one form the future, I should know if she dies or not. I should have the technology to save her. But I don't and it kills me." Buffy looked at him with tears forming in her eyes. "and if I had the technology and the knowledge needed and I was told to let your mother die, I wouldn't do it. I would save her because I came back to save my family. That includes her." Buffy was about to him when

"Buffy..." Riley came up behind Liam. Liam quickly put on his sunglasses without Riley noticing. Riley looked at Liam as Liam turned at walked away. Riley was wearing a turtleneck sweater. "You okay? You look pretty beat up."

"Minimal damage of the fighting kind. It's all the other kind." Buffy said.

"Come here." He hugged her. "It's okay. Just let it out. I'm right here."

"I can't." Buffy sniffles and pulls back. "Not now." She glances toward the hospital room. "They need me. If I start now ... I won't be able to stop." She bites her lip. Riley starts to lift his hand to her face.

"Buffy?" came Joyce's voice from the room. Buffy turned and walked back to the hospital room door, wiping her eyes. Riley watched her enter the room and close the door behind her.

**So end of this chapter. Next one will be the last one before Angel's appearance and Riley's disappearance. Spike knows who Liam is now. Can anyone guess who the girl was that Spike was marrying? Maybe a little obvious. I'll update soon. Promise.**


	11. Listening to Fear

Chapter 11: Listening to Fear

**This chapter is pretty much canon, but I promise you, next chapter is going to have Angel. It'll also be good bye Riley. For now, Enjoy!**

Buffy and Dawn were at the hospital with Joyce. Dawn was sitting with Joyce on the bed, while Buffy was sitting beside them. Joyce had a bandage on her forehead. Dawn was eating green Jell-O with her fingers.

"Listen you two," Joyce said. "I know this creamed spinach is pretty delicious, but I promise, I won't be offended if you go out for some real food."

"You kidding me?" Buffy said. "This is the good life. Relaxing in bed while people bring you food on trays.

"I like the Jell-O." Dawn said licking her fingers. Joyce laughs.

"Help yourself." She said. "There's something about food that moves by itself that gives me the heebie-jeebies."

"It's good and wiggly. This girl at school told me that gelatin is made from ground-up cow's feet, and that if you eat Jell-O there's some cows out limping with no feet." Joyce and Buffy grimace. "But I told her I'm sure they kill 'em before they take off their feet. Right?" Buffy looked at her mother.

"You're the one who insisted on teaching her to talk." She said. Doctor Kreigel entered into the room.

"Oh, hello, Dr. Kriegel," Joyce said. "Um, you know my girls, Buffy and Dawn."

"Yes, of course." He said. "You two are becoming part of the regular crew around here."

"Just keeping her company." Buffy said.

"Good. Just be careful you don't wear her out."

"Ohh," Joyce groaned. "Don't worry about that. I woke up exhausted, there's really no more exhausted to get." The doctor takes Joyce's chart and looks at it.

"Well, maybe some good news will help. The blood work's come back from the lab, and everything seems fine. So, we've scheduled your surgery for day after tomorrow at ten in the morning." Buffy and Joyce sober up at this. "How's that sound to you?"

"Oh, well, I think they had me scheduled for volleyball, but, ah, we can work around it." Doctor Kriegel laughs.

"All right. Joyce, you take care. Make sure you get some good solid rest. And I mean that." he exited the room.

"Uhh, the day after tomorrow. I don't think I can stand to stay here another two days just waiting."

"Waiting?" Buffy said. "Gimme a break, we got, we got tons to do."

"We have soap operas to watch and trashy magazines to read." Dawn added.

"And an adjustable bed to fiddle with. That alone will keep me busy for four hours or so."

"Oh, I really don't need you to stay here, Buffy." Joyce said. "I know you've got patrolling to do."

"Not tonight. Tonight I have mom-taking-care-of to do. And besides, the gang's filling in for me. I'm sure they have everything under control.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the graveyard, Giles had a dark-haired female vampire in a choke-hold from behind while Willow attacked her from the front. The vampire shoved Willow away and twisted out of Giles' grip. Another female vampire, this one blonde, threw Xander to the ground as the first one threw Giles over her shoulder. The blonde vampire was tackled to the ground by Liam. Willow got to her feet, holding a stake. She rushed at the brunette vampire, but the vampire grabbed her, lifted her over her head, and threw her to the ground. Liam continued to fight the blonde vampire, but was thrown off by her. Giles rushed the brunette vampire and tried to lift her over his shoulder but she punched him in the back and then kneed him in the chest. Xander rushed over the blonde vampire but she hit him and grabbed him in a headlock and started punching him.

Giles reeled to his feet, disoriented, and the brunette vampire punched him in the face. Xander broke free of the blonde vampire and she punched him in the face with both her hands clasped together. Liam came up behind her and kicked her in the back of the knee, sending her down. Then grabbed her from behind in his own headlock. Willow got to her feet again, picked up her stake and ran forward. The brunette vampire threw Giles over her shoulder and as she straightened up, Willow came up behind her and staked her. Giles grabbed for his own stake. The blonde vampire threw Liam off of her and tried to get on top of him but Xander came up and kicked her backward. He lunged at her but she deflected him and threw him against a crypt. He staggered to his feet and she put her hand on his neck and shoved him back against the crypt. Giles lunged forward, shoved the vampire out of the way and raised his stake as if to stab Xander.

"Human chest! Human chest!" he said.

"Sorry!" Giles apologized. The blonde vamp got up, and shoved Willow away as she approached. The vampire went to where Giles and Xander were still standing by the crypt and shoved them up against it with one hand on each of their chests. They stared at her in alarm. Liam came up and pushed her away. She staggered back and Willow ran up behind the vampire and staked her. The guys gasp and pant as Willow begins to grin. "My god, what a rough night." Willow kept giggling and grabbed Xander.

"I just did two of 'em! Yay on me!" Xander grinned. Everyone came up to Willow and they begin to walk off.

"Nice job Will" Liam said. "that's one for the record books."

"That was pretty cool. Except the part where I was all terrified and ... and now my knees are all dizzy."

"Not so much a big success night for me." Xander said. They begin to walk away. "But I think I should get points just for showing up. Unlike some Riley Finn who shall remain unnamed."

"Yes, that was disappointing." Giles said. "Things would have been easier if he'd been here."

"Oh, piffle," Willow said proudly. "Who needs him when I'm dusting two at a ti…." She suddenly staggers and Giles and Xander catch her, each grabbing an arm. "Whoops." She smiles nervously at Xander. "Maybe it would've been good if ... he'd shown up."

"Perhaps he forgot."

"Or maybe not." Liam said under his breath. They walked off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at the hospital, Joyce was reading in bed while Buffy and Dawn were doing something at a nearby table. Willow entered with a large colorful paper bag.

"Care package!" She said as she put the bag on the bed next to Joyce. Dawn came running over, as Buffy followed more slowly. "Special delivery for the Summers girls. Now, let's see what I have in this sack of mine. Oh, I feel just like Santa Claus, except thinner and younger and female and, well, Jewish." She goes into the bag. "This is an extra-special gift for your mom, that I know she'll need." She pulls out a beer hat. "A beer hat! See, i-it's got cup holders, and a straw that goes directly into your mouth, and you can fill it with other stuff than beer. And somehow, when I was in the store this seemed like the most important idea and now there's the whole part where I'm crazy.

"It's perfect." Joyce said smiling. "Thank you, Willow. You're very sweet." Willow handed the beer hat to Dawn.

"Now, let's see, who's next? Dawn, I believe I have something in here for you..." Joyce puts her hand to her head and grimaces. Buffy looks concerned.

"Headache?" Buffy asked quietly. Dawn stopped smiling.

"Just a little one." Joyce said smilesing. "A biggish little one. I'm fine! Go on, what else is in that sack of goodies, Willow?

"All right." Willow went on. "Dawn, to keep you busy." She took out a book marked "Spells" and handed it to Dawn, who smiled in delight.

"Ooh, spells!" she said gleefully. "Thank you, Willow!" She hurried over to a nearby chair and sat down to read. Buffy folded her arms and looked at Willow.

"You got her a book on spells." Buffy said. Willow stopped smiling. "The girl who can break things by just looking at them, now has a book to teach her to ... break things by looking at them?"

"Oh, well, it doesn't actually have spells in it." Willow defended herself. "Just history, and anecdotes, stuff like that." Dawn sat quietly reading her book. "Oh, Buffy I have this for you." She pulled out a large textbook called "World History" and gave it to Buffy.

"Homework?" Buffy pouted. "Oh. I don't believe in tiny Jewish Santa anymore."

"And a yo-yo." She pulled a yo-yo out of bag and gave it to Buffy.

"Thank you." Buffy said smiling. There was a knock on the door and Willow went to answer it. She opened it and Liam stood in the doorway.

"Is this a girl only party, or can a guy join in?" he said smiling. Dawn stood up and stood next to Buffy.

"Hi Liam." She said smiling.

"Liam" Joyce said. "What a pleasant surprise." Liam walked in and stood next to Willow. "What are you doing here?"

"Well" Liam began. "My mom always told me to care for my friends families like I care for my friends, and I stay true to her words." He smiled at Buffy who in return, smiled at him.

"Well that is very nice of you." Joyce looked at him quizzically. "You know…I have always wondered why you wear sunglasses everywhere." Willow and Dawn looked to him, wanting to know the answer.

"Eye condition. I don't like people looking at my eyes weirdly. Makes me look like some freak." They all smiled and Liam noticed the beer hat that Joyce was holding and pointed to it. "Beer hat?"

"Willows present for me." Joyce said. Liam turned to Willow.

"I didn't know we were supposed to bring gifts. I would have done so. Are you trying to make me look bad?"

"No" Willow said. "No. No. I just….wanted to make her feel good."

"I should have done that."

"It's ok Liam." Buffy said. "You didn't have to bring gifts."

"Which is why did it anyway." He turned and opened the door, grabbing the bag of presents that he had sat down before he came in. "I have presents for the Summer's woman." He reached in and pulled out a long tin foil wrapped present. "I know that hospital food is crud so Joyce…" he handed the package to her. "Veggie burrito. A healthy choice of food, that can actually be called food."

"Oh…Thank you" joyce said taking the burrito and sighed in relief. "You have no idea what it is like here."

"I think I got an idea. Dawn…" he reached into his bag again and pulled out an amulet. "An amulet." Buffy raised an eyebrow, Dawn ran to him and took the amulet with gleam.

"Ohh cool. What powers does it have?" she asked giddy.

"It has the power to reinforce the power that all women have of attracting male companions." Liam said. This brought a laugh from all of the woman in the room. "And for Buffy…"

"If it's a textbook, Willow already got me one." Buffy said.

"Who wants a text book?" he reached in to bag and pulled out a small box. "When you can have chocolates." He handed it to her and she smiled.

"Thank you. See Will. You give me homework that's already done, chocolate means nothing to me. Give me work to do, I'll take chocolate any day." Willow smiled at the statement.

"The book is just in case you get a chance to look it over." Willow said. Joyce looked thoughtful. "We're doing World War One now. The last exam was really pretty easy, just underlying causes and trench foot. So it should be no hassle to make it up…" Buffy sighed.

"I don't even know if I'm gonna take that exam." She said.

"I'd rip it in half and stick it in bed with me!" Joyce snapped. The girls and Liam look confused. Dawn looked up from her book.

"Mom?" Buffy said tentatively. Joyce looked confused.

"You know, I think I'm gonna take a little rest now." She handed her cup and burrito to Buffy as Willow packed up her bag. Buffy put the cup and burrito on a nearby table as Joyce lied back in bed.

"Okay. We'll be right outside if you need us." Dawn got up and they left. Joyce smiled after them, then lied back and closed her eyes. Out in the hall, Dawn looked anxious as Buffy closed the door behind herself.

"What was she talking about?" Dawn asked Willow. "I mean, that was weird."

"She's gonna be fine." Willow reassured her.

"It's okay." Buffy said coming in. "I'm sorry, the doctor spoke to me, and uh, I should have told you. Um, the, the thing that's pressing on her brain, sometimes it, it might make her say weird things."

"Does she know she's saying them?" Dawn asked.

"Not really. It's sort of like a flash, you know, but you saw her two seconds afterward. She was normal."

"And after the operation," Liam added. "No more pressing. She'll be all normal all the time."

"Is that right?" Dawn asked Buffy.

"Hey, Santa's doesn't lie." She said back. They all smile. "Liam can I talk to you for a second?" Liam looked at her.

"Sure" the moved away from Willow and Dawn for a private chat. "Mom?" he said when they weren't going to be heard.

"I'm really worried about my mom."

"Hey, I would be to if that was you. I am right now. It's my grandmother." Buffy looked at the ground and shifted her feet.

"I know you don't know anything." She said looking back up. "But if this is it…"

"Hey." Liam interrupted her. "Don't talk like that. You gotta be positive."

"I'm trying to be. But we don't know if this is it. And if it is….I want her know."

"Mom?" Liam looked confused.

"I want her to know who you really are. I want her to know that I'm going to have a family of my own and be happy." Liam took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I know you don't want people to know but she's…."

"Ok" he said.

"OK?"

"Yeah. I think it's a good idea. All people want before they go is to know that the people they care about will live on and be happy." He said smiling.

"That's what I want for her."

"We'll tell her." He put his glasses back on. "But when she's a little more….sane" Buffy smiled and they both made their way back to Willow and Dawn.

"Ready to go?" Buffy asked them. They nodded and they all started to walk. As they walked down the hall, a man passed them going the other way with three women. He brushed Buffy. "Oh, excuse me."

"Careful," the man said. "The facts say a-a picnic is in order." He turns around to look back at the three girls. "What is that thing?" He pointed at Dawn and walked back toward them, becoming agitated. The three women with him exchanged a worried look. "There-there's no data. There's no pictures on this one there!" He continued pointing at Dawn. She looked scared. Liam stepped forward protectively. The man's wife came forward. "What is the data? There's no one in there."

"Buffy?" Dawn said scared. Buffy grabbed Dawn and turned her away.

"Come on, honey. Don't worry about it." she said. Buffy, Liam, and Willow stared over their shoulders as they hustled Dawn away.

"What's wrong with him? Is it like Mom? A thing in his head?" Buffy starred after the man.

"I don't think so, I-I think it's, it's different. Don't, don't worry about it." she brushed some hair back from Dawn's face. An intern named Ben approached them. Buffy and Dawn had met him when they first brought Joyce in.

"I guess I missed that," Ben said. "was he bothering you?"

"Hey Ben, uh, this are my friends Willow and Liam." Willow shook his hand. Liam just nodded. "And, uh, yeah, the crazy man was a little ... you know, crazy, but it's okay. Are they really gonna send him home?"

"Don't get me started. The mental ward's booked beyond capacity, literally nowhere to put them, so the ones with families, they're letting 'em go home. Like his family's gonna be able to take care of him. He has to have someone to watch him 24-7!" he looked at Dawn. "What was he saying to you?"

"Oh, he was just babbling."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that night, Buffy and Dawn were still at the hospital with their mother. Joyce was in her hospital bed, holding the nurse call button, pushing the button again and again.

"This thing doesn't work! It isn't working!" she said irradiated.

"I'm sure they heard you." Buffy said and took the call button from Joyce and put it aside. Dawn was in reading.

"I bet it's not even hooked up to anything. Just like the push buttons at the crosswalk that are supposed to make the signal change."

"I'm sure someone's on - What, the push buttons aren't hooked up to anything?" The doctor entered.

"Oh, tell him, Buffy. Tell him, okay?"

"Look, Dr. Kriegel, we wanna go home."

"Well, of course." Dr. Kriegel said. "You can come back and visit your mother first thing in the morning."

"No. We. I-I mean, all of us. My mom too." Joyce looks anxiously at the doctor and nods.

"Oh. Well, I understand that, but it's not necessarily the first thing I'd recommend."

"I can't! I-I can't stay here waiting for two days for this operation, I just can't." Joyce said frantically. The doctor sighed. "It makes my head hurt to be here, can't you tell that?"

"Joyce, there's no reason to get upset."

"No reason to get upset? Oh, right, sorry, I must just think there is because of my _brain tumor_!" Dawn looks upset. Joyce calms down slightly.

"Here, Dawn, why don't you get something from the machine?" Buffy said and handed Dawn some money. She took it and left, looking apprehensive.

"I-I'm sorry I said that, I'm just tired." Joyce said softly to Buffy.

"I know. Listen, Doctor, I don't see why we can't take her home, you know, just until... I-I mean, wouldn't it be better for her to rest someplace where she felt safe and comfortable?"

"Even if it would mean some work for you, taking care of her?" said Dr. Kriegel. Joyce sighed and leaned back in her bed.

"Oh, thank god." She says.

"I'll do it, anything." Buffy said. The doctored sighed and shakes his head.

"There are medications to administer," he said. "I'd have to go over those with you, and I'd need for you to check her vitals, watch her pretty closely. I'm afraid you won't get a lot of sleep."

"I'm not much of a sleep person anyway." Buffy shrugged.

Can we go now? Joyce said anxiously and started to get out of bed. "Let's go now!"

"Oh, hold on!" Buffy stops her. "Lemme get all the medications and all the instructions on how to do everything."

"She's right." The doctor agreed. "Let's do this right. We don't wanna forget anything." Joyce sighed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Willow and Tara were walking through forest. Riley, Xander, Anya, Liam and Giles were walking behind them. Giles had a flashlight. Willow and Tara saw a meteorite fall to earth and they were investigating it.

"Everyone stay close." Riley said to the group.

"No shit" Liam said under his breath.

"I'm glad you called me in on this." Riley said to Xander

"Glad you answered." He said back.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry about last time. Heard I missed out on some fun."

"Oh, yeah, fun was had. Also frolic, merriment, and near-death hijinks."

"Look, there it is." Riley pushed past Willow and Tara. They approached a long trench in the ground. There was the meteorite. They all ran up to the edge of the trench. Riley jumped down into it as Giles moves his flashlight over the rock.

"Wow." Willow said amazed. "We have meteorite." The rock was steaming.

"Is it hot?" Anya asked. Riley put his hands toward it. "'Cause, uh, if there's radiation, you could like go all sterile." Riley looked alarmed. Xander jumped backward. Riley touched the rock carefully.

"No, it's not hot." He said kneeling. "It's warm. And broken. It's sort of…"

"Hollow." Giles said.

"Yeah."

"So, uh, we're all thinking the same thing, right?" Anya said.

"Festive pinata?" Xander joked. "Delicious candy?"

"Something evil crashed to earth in this and then broke out and ... slithered away to do badness." Willow observed.

"In all fairness, we don't really know about the slithered part." Giles said.

"There aren't any footprints coming from the rock." Liam observed. "The ground is wet here and it's going in that direction." He pointed in direction of the woods. They moved off. Riley climbed out of the trench to join them. Willow moved around some trees and finds the man from the hospital lying on the ground.

"It went here!" she said. They all rushed over. Riley kneeled by the body and felt its neck.

"No pulse." He said. Liam joined Riley by the guard's head.

"No marks on him." Liam said. "Wait" he looked closer at the body. "Willow, look familiar."

"Yeah." Willow said. "He, he was at the hospital, a mental patient. They released him today." Everyone leaned down to look at the body. Riley took out a pen and brought it toward the man's mouth.

"Uh, Riley, what are you doing?" Giles asked.

"I'm not sure, there's something..." Riley said. He sticks the pen in the man's mouth and it comes out covered with a clear slimy substance. Everyone but Liam reacts at the same time, making disgusted noises and covering their noses as it obviously smells bad. "Oh, that might be toxic, don't touch it." Liam activates and analysis scanner on his glasses without anyone noticing.

"Oh yeah, touching it was my first impulse." Xander said sarcastically. "Luckily I've moved on to my second, which involves dry-heaving and running like hell. Oh, man, does that smell. Why aren't you affected by it?" he asked Liam who hadn't moved from his kneeling position staring at the substance.

"I've smelled worse things than this." He said.

"Yeah," Riley said. "your demon friends smell good to you?"

"Half –demon" Liam corrected him. He looked at the substance again. Analysis said that it was a sort of protein alkaloid and it was going to dissolve fast. "Perhaps we should explore a bit more, head into the woods a bit. See if we can't find this substance in there." They all look into the woods. It was dark and scary-looking.

"Who votes research?" Xander said. Everyone but Liam and Riley raised their hands and starts to walk away.

"Yeah, I think that's a good call." Riley said standing up. "There could have been some other cases like this. I'm gonna stay here, examine the body some more, look around a little bit."

"I'll go into the woods and see what I can find." Liam said.

"Um, give us a call if you need help." Giles said to the both of them.

"Believe me, something jumps out at me in the dark" Riley started. "You'll hear me even without the phone. Call me if you learn anything."

"You got it." Riley watches them go. Liam started to walk off towards the woods. "Hey" Riley called to him. Liam turned to face him. "I'm sorry about that. it's just….I haven't had really any good relationships with any kind of demons so…"

"You don't need to say anything." Liam said. "I understand. You live in a world of black and white. Demons are evil. Humans are good. Not open to the thought that demons can be good. Let alone breed with humans who let them. I grew up with that. But I can assure you Riley, I'm not here to hurt Buffy. I'm here to help her."

"It's just that you always seem to know what to do when something really bad happens."

"I saw each one of my family members die in front of me by Evil. I learned through the years. Because if you don't know what to do in certain situations…you better have a good tombstone picked out beforehand. That's always that hardest part."

"Was your mother killed by demons?" Liam hesitated.

"No. Humans. Because she saw past the demon and saw the good that can be found in all creatures if you just take the time to look." He turned away and walked to the woods. "Just like Buffy." Riley stares at him, taking in what he said. Then he took out his cell phone and dialed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Back at the hospital, Dr. Kriegel was checking some paperwork as Joyce stood behind him, dressed with Buffy and Dawn.

"Well, I guess we're all set then." He said. He turns and handed Buffy a piece of paper and three pill bottles. "You've got my home phone number, pager number, and here, these are the medications I talked to you about. The sedative and so forth, painkillers."

"Right. No problem." Buffy said.

"Now, if this is gonna be too much for you, we can make your mom perfectly comfortable here."

"No. No, no, I-I got this. We really, really appreciate…"

"You look just like your father when he cries." Joyce said to Buffy.

"I-I told you she's been…"

"I know. Joyce?" the doctor said. Joyce was staring dazedly at Buffy. "Joyce." She looked at him. "We're all done here. Why don't you take your girls home now."

"Yes." She said. "Yes, thank you. Thank you for all your help, doctor."

"I'll see you in a couple of days." He walked off. The Summer's women turned away, Buffy and Dawn flanked Joyce and linked their arms through hers.

"Oh, let's get the hell outta here." She said as they left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Liam was walking through the woods and got to the streets of town. He was following the demons trail. It wasn't that hard. He could smell the demons scent from the place it crashed. And he had on thermal vision on his glasses and could see the slime trail the demon left behind, even after it dissolved. He heard a helicopter overhead but brushed it off and kept walking, picking up the pace, hoping to get to the demon. Liam arrived at the hospital and followed the trail. It led him to the psychiatric ward. He peered into the room and saw five dead people. He turned off his thermal vision to get a better look. All of them seemed to be covered in the mysterious goop.

"What a fucking mess" he said. He turned on the thermal vision again and scanned the room. He saw a trail leading out. He followed the trail to the outside again and found that it stopped in the parking lot. "Bastard must have found a ride." He suddenly remembered that the demon killed mental patients, the mental patient from the hospital in the woods, and that Joyce was acting crazy earlier. "Oh fuck. Grandma!" he took off at a run to Buffy's house. He was running as fast as he could, not stopping or pay attention to anything. This led to him bumping into and toppling over Spike as he was running through the graveyard.

"Whoa. Where's the fire?" Spike asked getting up.

"Not now Spike." Liam got up too. "Mom could be in trouble."

"Yeah. With what?"

"Some demon is killing crazy people."

"How is Buffy in danger then?"

"Her mom's been acting crazy because of the tumor. I followed the demons trail and it led me to the hospital. I found five dead mental patients. The trail ended at the parking lot and Buffy checked Joyce out earlier tonight."

"Then what are we doin' standin' 'round then? Let's go"

"Think you can keep up old man?"

"Hope you can keep up junior." The both started at a run towards Buffy's house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Queller demon was in Joyce's room and Joyce was talking to it, still acting a little crazy. The Queller squeals and drops down on top of Joyce. She screams. Dawn hears the scream and gets up. Joyce struggles against the Queller.

"Get off me!" She said. It spits its slime onto her face. She shakes her head trying to dislodge it. Dawn opens the door and sees the demon on top of Joyce. She gasps. The Queller looks at her as she grabs a coat rack from her room and shakes the clothing off of it. She attacks the demon with it, shoving it off the other side of the bed. Most of the slime seems to have hardened on Joyce's face. She pulls it away, gasping and panting. Dawn looks around, scared. The Queller arises from behind the bed and launches itself at Dawn, squeaking. She screams and runs back into her room. The Queller chases her, crawling along the floor. Dawn runs through her room and out into the hall, as the Queller enters the hall from Joyce's room. Dawn runs into the bathroom and slams the door. Buffy was crying in the kitchen. She had the radio on and water coming from the sink. She wipes hair back from her face and sniffles. The back door banged open as Liam and Spike entered. Buffy shrieked and dropped a plate she was wiping. Liam and Spike looked at her and she looked at them.

"Liam?" she said wiping tears from her eyes. "Spike? What are you guys doing here?" Liam was about to answer when he noticed the tear marks on her face.

"Are you ok?" Liam asked.

"Still recovering from the near heart attack you guys gave me."

"No need to be rude." Spike said. "But we are here for a reason. Where's your mum?" They heard a shriek from upstairs and Dawn calling for Buffy. "Never mind." They all raced upstairs. Liam ran ahead into the hallway, and came back a moment later with the Queller on top of him. The two went rolling down the stairs. Buffy and Spike jumped out of the way. "Wow. Ugly thing."

"Some help…Would be…..Appreciated." Liam gasped from the floor. The Queller squeaked and crawled away. Liam rubbed his neck and looked around.

"It's fast" Spike commented

"No shit"

"Where did it go?" Buffy asked frantically, looking around. Liam pulled out his axe, ready to strike anything that moved funny. They walked into the living room cautiously. Then Buffy gave a strangled yell suddenly and Liam saw the demon grab hold of him. Spike tackled Buffy to the ground and ripped the demon off of her. It fought back, but he wrestled with it.

"Spike." Liam yelled. "You ever play baseball?"

"I think for all intents and purposes, this is demon ball." He growled while fighting the demon. Liam raised his axe.

"Then batter up." Spike threw the demon at Liam and Liam swung, slicing the demon in half. It became still. "Home run." He breathed. Spike held out his hand to Buffy and she took it and he pulled her to her feet. Just then, the door burst open and Riley came in, followed by commandos. They all turned and saw more commandos coming in through the back door yelling random orders. Riley looked at Spike and Buffy apparently holding hands. Spike gave him a sour look.

"Are you okay?" Riley asked Buffy. Buffy frowned at him, and then rushed to the stairs.

"You just missed a real nice time." Spike said to Riley. Riley looked around and saw the Queller at Liam's feet, cut in half. Buffy burst into Joyce's bedroom.

"It's gone. I killed it." She said. Both Dawn and Joyce hugged her, putting their heads on her shoulders. She put her arms around them. "Everything's all right. Everything's all right."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX

The next morning, Joyce was at the hospital again and a nurse was putting an IV in Joyce's arm as Buffy sat on the bed by her, holding her other hand. Joyce winced as the needle entered her arm. The nurse finished and left. Buffy sighed.

"Buffy, uh," Joyce said and cleared her throat. "I'm gonna ask you something, a-and if I'm, if I'm being crazy you just tell me, okay?"

"You got it." She said.

"The other day ... well, actually, I'm, I'm not sure when, the days seem to all bleed together..."

"It's not important."

"No, I guess it isn't. I do know I was ... pretty out of it, and I had ... not-not a dream ... exactly, more like I had this ... knowledge, i-it just came to me like ...truth, you know?" Buffy frowned. "Even though it didn't seem...possible, even though I shouldn't even think such things."

"What?"

"That Dawn..." Buffy looked very startled. "She's not ... mine, is she?" Buffy stared at her mom, then looked down and then looked Joyce in the eye.

"No." Joyce absorbs this for a moment.

"She's ... she does belong to us, though."

"Yes, she does."

"And she's important. To the world. Precious. As precious as you are to me." Buffy smiled and nodded her head. "Then we have to take care of her. Buffy, promise me. If anything happens, if I don't come through this…"

"Mom…."

"No, listen to me. No matter what she is, she still feels like my daughter. I have to know that you'll take care of her, that you'll keep her safe. That you'll love her like I love you."

"I promise." Buffy said with tears growing her eyes.

"Good. Good." Joyce said and they both hugged. "Oh, my sweet brave Buffy. What would I do without you?" Buffy hugged her mom tightly.

"I don't know, mom." She pulled out of the hug and looked at her. "And I don't know what I would do without my child." Joyce looked confused. Buffy opened the door and Liam came into the room. "Mom, I want to officially introduce you to someone." Joyce looked even more confused. Buffy turned to Liam. "Liam, this is Joyce Summers. My mother." She turned to her mother. "Mom, this is Liam Summers." Joyce looked a little shocked. "My son from the future." Liam took his sunglasses off and kneeled down beside Joyce looking at her. She looked back even more shocked. Seeing Liam and how he looked a lot like Buffy.

"What?" she said.

"Hi Grandma." Liam said. Joyce looked back at him.

"I don't understand."

"And you don't need to. I am Buffy's and Angel's son from the future. I came back to save it and my family." Joyce looked bewildered. "I know it's a lot to take in but…" Tears where starting to form in his eyes. "I can't bear the thought of you not knowing in case this was it." Joyce looked away. The information she was just given, sinking in. She looked at Buffy for confirmation. Buffy nodded back. Joyce looked back at Liam

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to put you in any danger if evil found out where I came from. Future knowledge is dangerous in the wrong hands. At the moment, only immediate family know who I am. Mom, Grandpa Giles, and now you."She continued to look at him, then placed a loving hand on his face.

"Ohh." She said with a smile. "My own grandson." This made Liam and Buffy smile. "My daughter has a son."

"Both your daughters will have children." This made Joyce smile even more and a few tears went down her face. They hugged. Buffy stood there crying happy tears as everyone else did. Liam pulled away from Joyce and kissed her forehead. They looked at each other and Joyce placed her hand on his face again.

"God ,you look so handsome."

"It's a Summer's thing." They both laughed. Joyce looked away quizzical and then looked back.

"But…If you're Buffy and Angel's son than why….."

"Don't worry about it grandma. We have everything under control. You need to worry about you. I actually want to spend time with my grandma now." She smiled at him and they hugged again. Liam's phone started to ring. He pulled away from the hug and pulled out his phone.

"I thought cell phones were supposed to be off in hospitals?" Buffy said.

"Since when do I follow rules that aren't my mother's?" He opened his phone and answered it. "Yeah….yes….he did?...She was?...How long?...OK thanks Lorne." He hung up. And turned to his mother and grandmother.

"What is it?"

"We're gonna need to move pretty soon. That first event I talked about…it's gonna happen."

"When?" Where?"

"Relax mom. We have some time to stay for the surgery and see if grandma makes it." He looked to her." I have a feeling she will."

"Future knowledge?" Joyce asked.

"Faith." He answered and they all smiled

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX

Joyce was on a gurney, being wheeled away. She had one arm up behind her head and she smiled down the hall as she was moved backwards. Buffy and Dawn had their arms around each other, watching. Riley, Xander, Anya, Giles, Tara, Willow, and Liam were standing behind them watching. Joyce looked very calm. She waved to her two girls and to her grandson. Liam secretly waved back.

**Now Joyce knows. Almost the whole family knows who Liam is. Next chapter, Angel come in and Riley goes out.**


	12. Into the Woods Reunion

Chapter 12: Into the Woods/ Reunion

**Here it is. The chapter you've all been waiting for. Angel's first true appearance in the story. All the other times have been flashbacks and memories. But now, it's his true appearance. Also, say goodbye to Riley. This was a tricky chapter to write, because of all the Buffy and Riley moments. But I think I got through it. Enjoy!**

Liam knocked on the door of Spikes crypt and waited. He needed his help if his new plan was going to work. He had to get himself ready. The first event was about to happen and if everything wasn't in place by the time it will occur, Buffy may lose Angel and Liam will lose not only his father, but also his brother. Spike opened the door.

"Well, isn't this a nice surprise. What can I do ya for nephew?" he said.

"I need your help Spike." Liam said walking into the crypt.

"Uncle."

"What?" Liam looked quizzical at him. Spike turned to face him.

"If I am to help you, you start calling me 'Uncle Spike'. Considerin we're family and all."

"Sure. Fine. Whatever. Only when we're alone so as to not attracted attention."

"Deal. What about your mum?"

"She'll know later. Right now she needs to deal with her mom and then deal with Riley. Which is why I'm here."

"Oh. I get it. You want dear ol' Uncle Spike to split mummy and Captain Cardboard up is it?"

"No. I need you to follow Riley around and tell my mom if he is doing something completely stupid."

"Like what?"

"Well…for the past few days, I've smelled something on him. Vampires. Not the usually fight and kill vampires, I'm talking about vampires being on him and he isn't fighting back."

"The man's cheating on Buffy with vampires?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I didn't smell sex on him but I did smell vampires. That scent I know well."

"Alright. I'll spy on the soldier boy and tell Buffy if he's doin anythin. Where is he now?"

"At the hospital with the rest of the gang waiting on grandma."

"Haven't heard anythin hunh?"

"No. When we get the news, follow Riley. Especially when he's alone."

"Ya got it."

"Thank you." Liam went to walk out the door but Spike called back to him.

"How's the plan goin to get my future wife here?" he asked with a smile.

"Great. She may be here sooner than I planned."

"Well great. When?"

"Don't know yet. I can assure you Spike, she will be here." Then Liam left for the hospital. Joyce had been in surgery all night and nobody left the waiting room. Except Liam who went to go talk to Spike. Dawn was sleeping, lying across several hospital waiting room chairs and her head was on Buffy's lap as she stroked her hair. Riley sat next to Buffy, dozing off. Buffy sighed.

"What time is it?" Willow asked Xander who was sitting next to her.

"There's a clock behind you, Will." He said. She pouted.

"I know, but there's a watch right above your hand." Xander showed her his watch. Willow frowned. "That can't be right." She turned to look at the clock above nurses' station behind her. "Oh." She sat back and exchanged a look with Xander.

Buffy leans her head back and sighed loudly. Riley put his hand on her knee.

"I can't stand this." She said sounding irritated. "What's taking so long?"

"It doesn't mean anything." Riley said reassuringly.

"You think?"

"I'd worry more if your mom was out of surgery quickly. Might mean that, you know, they couldn't do much." Buffy frowned. Suddenly she put her hand over Riley's which is still on her leg. Liam came into the waiting room with a cup of coffee and stood next to Giles.

"Where have you been?" Giles asked.

"Needed to take care of something. Heard anything?"

"No. nothing. We're all getting a bit restless."

"I know the feeling." The doctor came out of the operation room and started walking towards them. Buffy shook Dawn to wake her. Everybody stood up. Buffy walked up in front of everyone.

"Okay, your mom's in recovery." Doctor Kriegel said.

"What happened, is she all right?" Buffy asked.

"It was possible to visualize the tumor completely, which means I was able to get all of it. So, barring complications in recovery ... I think your mother's going to be fine." Everyone reacted with relief. "Of course we're still going to have to watch your mother carefully, and, uh, have her back in here for some follow-up testing, but, uh, overall I'd consider the procedure a complete success." Everyone smiled and hugged each other. Giles and Xander start to hug, then settle for a handshake instead. Liam hugged Dawn and spun her around. She was a little confused why, but enjoyed it.

"Oh my goodness, doctor, thank you, thank you so much." Buffy said happily.

"Please, it's my pleasure." Buffy hugged him and he yelled in pain as she forgot her slayer-strength. She gasped and pulled back.

"Sorry. Sorry!" The doctor puts a hand on his back and gives Buffy a funny look. Liam went up to Giles and hugged him.

"Grandpa I need to talk to you" he whispered so that only Giles could hear.

"Of course" Giles whispered back. Once they separated, Liam went over to Buffy and they hugged. They pulled apart and looked at each other.

"Should we go now?" she asked.

"No. not yet. I'm sorry but I need to tie up some loose ends before we go. In the meantime….be with Riley."

"But you father…"

"Can wait for the time being. I'll come to you when it's time." Buffy looked conflicted. "Hey…It'll be alright."

"Riley"

"It's just about over."

"I hope so" she turned and went back to Dawn and Riley.

"You know, I find it somewhat cruel what you're doing." Giles said.

"I do too." Liam said looking at his mother and Riley hug and kiss.

"Then why do you do it?"

"Because….Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do in order to achieve the goals you set out to achieve. Believe me, I know that better than anyone. If it was my way…..That'd be my father with my mother. But it's not."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Giles and Liam entered the magic shop later that morning. Giles went to the table while Liam took of his glasses and started to pace.

"So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Giles said sitting down.

"The first event is about to happen" Liam stated. This made Giles tense up.

"It's about to happen? Then we should be arming ourselves, stopping it from occurring."

"Giles, I told you. It's not dire enough to call in the Calvary. It will be if mom and I don't get there in time."

"Then shouldn't you be leaving now?"

"We still gotta deal with one last loose end before we go."

"Riley"

"Yeah. I don't like doing this, but it has to be done."

"I understand. What is this event you and your mother are going off to?

"We have to go to LA to talk to dad."

"Angel? Is he alright?"

"Not really. If we don't get to him in time, he'll go down a dark path and when he gets back on the light, he'll have done too much damage."

"I'm not sure I'm following." Liam stopped his pacing and faced his grandfather.

"Several months ago, Wolfram and Hart brought back Darla as human." Giles looked shocked.

"Darla? Angels sire Darla was brought back as human?" Liam nodded his head. Giles took off his glasses and started to clean them. "To pull off a-a-a spell like that, would require considerable dark magic." He put his glasses back on.

"Believe me, Wolfram and Hart thrive on it. They brought her back as human to mess with Angel. Because they share a history, Dad would go out of his way to not only find Darla, but to help her."

"Why would he help her?"

"Because, Darla was brought back as human. She has a soul. Dad wanted to help her seek redemption. To let her have a second chance in life. He wanted to help her because he did all that by himself and it wasn't pretty." Liam took in a breath and looked down. "He thought he could save her." Giles let the information sink. Liam looked up and continued. "But the problem was that Darla was brought back to the point where she left off in her human life." Giles looked at him. "When she was dying of syphilis." Giles continued to stare. "Dad went through these trials to win her a life. Unfortunately after he completed them, it was revealed that she was already living her second life so there was nothing they could do. At this moment….Darla will be sired again by Drusilla and return to her old ways." Giles looked horrified.

"Dru-Drusilla resired Darla?"

"Yeah, crazy dysfunctional family hunh?" Liam began to pace again. "Dad made it his goal to find the both of them and end them. But he didn't. He found them in the house of one of Wolfram and Harts lawyers who was throwing some sort of party with other lawyers. Darla and Drusilla crashed the party ready for a feast. Dad caught them before they could start. But Dad locked them in and left." Giles looked uncomfortable. "Dad went down his dark path. Not fighting the good fight. Trying desperately to kill every last evil being there was. Not really caring at all about the Shanshu prophecy."

"Shanshu prophecy?" Giles asked curious.

"An ancient prophecy foretelling that the vampire with a soul will play a pivotal role in the apocalypse. His role will determine its outcome. His reward for his role is that he becomes human." Giles looked astonished. "Yeah, Dad is meant to fight in the apocalypse and will become human. But he doesn't get that far and this path will not help him. He will go after every evil being related to Wolfram and Hart. He went so far as to go straight to Wolfram and Hart and take out the Senior Partners. But it was revealed to him that he can't take out all evil." Giles looked at him again. Liam stopped pacing and faced Giles. "A horrible truth about this world grandpa is that there is evil in all of us. If there wasn't, we'd all be saints. Dad realized this and though that there was no hope. He would go home and would find Darla waiting for him. He would deliberately sleep with Darla in the attempt to lose his soul." Giles looked more horrified then before. "But it doesn't work. Instead of having a moment of perfect happiness, he would have a moment of clarity. An epiphany. He would realize that in this world, there is heaven and hell. There not there for us to find, there there for us to make. Dad realizes this too late though. Dad still won a life in the trials he went through to save Darla and that night, he cashed it in." he paused for a second letting Giles compose himself. "That night, he impregnated Darla. Nine months later, Darla would come back at full term. She would share a soul with the human baby boy that was in her. She loved him so much that she staked herself so that he could be born. My big brother Connor." If there was a look to signify being more than shocked, Giles would have it. His eyes were wider than anyone had ever seen him. He was staring off into space, it looked like he was a statue. Liam let the information sink into Giles. He sat down next to him. "I know this is a lot." Giles nodded his head.

"What-what are you trying to do?" Giles asked after a minute.

"I'm trying to prevent my father from going down that dark path…..and make my half-brother, my full brother. I want Connor to be Buffy's son." Giles took his glasses off again and cleaned them.

"Is that prudent to the future?" he asked putting his glasses back on.

"In a way….Connor and mom got along great. And he wished that she was his mother." Liam began to chuckle. "He even started calling her 'mom'." He stopped chuckling. "Connor wanted to be in our family completely. I have a chance at making that happen. I'm not going to throw that away." Giles leaned back, contemplating what he just heard.

"And you need Buffy for this?"

"She's the only one I know that can knock some sense into my dad."

"Well that is true." After a beat. "Alright, what do you need me to do?"

"When Joyce gets out of the hospital, tell her where mom and I have gone and tell her about me. She knows."

"How?"

"I told her before she went for surgery. I need you to fill in the blanks for her. Mom and I will be gone for a few days so we can't be here to do that. I need you to do it." Giles nodded.

"Alright, I'll do it. What of Darla and Drusilla?"

"They both got a one way ticket to Dustville and I'm their conductor." Liam looked at his watch. "I need to go. Can you handle Joyce?"

"Yes. What of Buffy?"

"She'll be dealing with Riley tomorrow and then deal with dad. So don't say anything yet."

"Alright I won't."

"Thanks Grandpa." Liam leaned forward and hugged his grandfather before leaving. Giles breathed a heavy sigh. What Liam had just told him was a lot to take in. Angel having a son, Darla coming back from the dead as human, it was more than finding out about Liam.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Spike was outside Buffy's house watching. He knew what Buffy and Riley were doing. Not really sure why. Buffy wasn't sure either, but Liam said that she needed to do this if she was going to be with Angel so she went with it. Late at night, Buffy was asleep. Riley watched her for a moment, and then slid out of her bed. Riley exited the house and didn't see Spike watching him. He walked off and Spike followed. Riley walked through a dark alley and Spike was still following. He followed him to an old warehouse. Spike frowned knowing where Riley was. Liam told him what to do if he found out anything. Spike on a level, didn't want to. But he had to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy was still in bed asleep, and alone. The door opened and closed which made Buffy wake up halfway.

"Riley?" she said sleepily.

"It's me." Spike said. Buffy woke up fully, and sat up holding the sheet to her chest.

"Every time you show up like this, you risk all of your parts, you know that?" She said.

"Look, I wouldn't be here if I didn't have a good reason. As usual, I'm here to help you. I wanna show you something." She rolled her eyes.

"Get out."

"No, I'm serious.

"Get out or I will drop you out head-first."

"It's about your love bird pet. You need to see this." Buffy realized he was serious.

"What?"

"Get dress and I'll show you. We need to move if we wanna get there in time. I'll be outside." He turned and left to let Buffy get dressed. Buffy sighed as she reached for her clothes.

Spike lead Buffy through the alley, up the stairs to the warehouse. Buffy looked confused. Spike opened the door for her. They entered the warehouse Buffy saw a bunch of people being sucked on by vampires. She stared at it in dismay.

"Don't stop, Slayer." Spike said. "This isn't what we're here for." They approach the stairs and start up them.

"You can't go up there." A vampire said. Spike grabbed the vamp by the throat and shoved him to the floor.

"Keep it down." He said and they both went up the stairs. Spike lead Buffy through the mess upstairs to a slightly opened door. She looked suspiciously at him, then went through the door and discovered Riley, sitting bare-chested on a mattress on the floor, with a female vamp sitting on his lap, drinking from his arm. He doesn't see Buffy.

"Harder." Riley said. The vampire continued sucking. Buffy gasped in shock and horror. Riley looked up and saw her. The vamp continued to feed from Riley. Riley looked at Buffy and gulped. "Buffy." Buffy stared at him, backed away and ran out. Spike smirked. "Buffy!"

"We only came here because we care about you, friend." Spike said. Riley shoved the vamp aside and got up. "You need help." Spike walked out.

Buffy exited the warehouse, pausing at the bottom of the stairs, looking shell-shocked. Spike burst out, passed her, and turned back.

"I thought you should know" Buffy lifted her head and gave him a fierce look. Spike was startled. She ran past him and away, down the alley. Spike looked disappointed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Spike was sitting in his armchair in his crypt, holding a bottle of alcohol. Liam was with him. He had just told Liam what he showed Buffy last night.

"So that's it than." Liam said looking disgusted. "A brothel. A vampire brothel!" Liam started pacing. "Riley's been going to vampire brothels to get sucked on. I knew that he wasn't as smart as I am, but I didn't figure him to be stupid."

"Yeah well…what are you gonna do?" Spike held up the bottle of alcohol.

"I don't drink" Liam said.

"Your choice."

"How did my mom take it?"

"Not well I'm guessing. When I tried to explain myself, she gave me a scary look. I'm talking dead scary."

"I know that look. Get it from just about every woman I pissed off." The door burst open and Riley strode in looking pissed. "Speaking of which."

"What took you?" Spike said putting the cork back in the bottle and set it aside. "Guess it takes a while to get back to full strength after those bites." Riley grabbed Spike by the shirt, pulled him up out of the chair, and slammed him up against a pillar.

"Riley" Liam tried to pry Riley away but he punched him hard, sending him flying to the ground.

"Hey! Hey, let's be reasonable about this." Spike said.

"You may have noticed Spike, but I left reasonable about three exits back." He punched Spike in the face.

"Look, I'm not the one who got you into this. Don't kill the messenger." Riley scowled. He pulled back his arm and brought out a stake. He plunged it into Spike's chest.

"Why the hell not?"

"SPIKE!" Liam yelled looking up.

"Ow!" Spike yelled. "Bloody hell! Oh god! Hey!" He looks down at his chest as he realized he hasn't been dusted yet. Riley yanked the stake out. Spike grabbed his chest in pain, and stared at the stake.

"Plastic wood-grain." Riley explained. "Looks real, doesn't it?" He grabbed Spike's shirt again. "Don't think I don't know what's goin' on with you, Spike. Stay away from her. Or we'll do this for real next time. And you…" he looked at Liam who was getting up. "you stay away from her too." He let Spike go and Spike leaned against the pillar panting. He was still clutching his chest, but he began to chuckle, and Riley turned to him.

"Oh, man. You are really under it, aren't you?"

"What?" Riley said angrily.

"Look at you. All afraid we're hot for your honey."

"Because you are."

"Man…you are stupid." Liam said. "We aren't in love with Buffy."

"I used to" Spike said. "But not anymore. I got my heart set for another honey." Riley looked taken aback.

"What?" he asked. "Who?"

"Wouldn't you like to know? But we're not talking about me, we're talking about you and Buffy. You're never gonna be able to hold onto her." Riley puts his hand over Spike's hand that is covering the wound. He pushes his hand deeper into it. "Ow, bloody hell!"

"Maybe I didn't almost kill you enough."

"That's enough" Liam came over and threw Riley off of Spike

"Come on." Spike said through the pain. "You're not the long haul guy and you know it."

"Shut up." Riley said.

"You know it. Or else you wouldn't be getting suck jobs from two-bit vampire trulls." Riley looks annoyed. "The girl needs some monster in her man ... and that's not in your nature..." He went to sit in his chair. "...no matter how low you try to go." Spike sat back down with an expression of pain. Riley paced around restlessly. Spike reached for his bottle and began to remove the cork again.

"Does that mean you have a shot at her?" Riley asked Liam. Liam scoffed.

"Please. Buffy's not my type. She reminds me to much of my own mother." Spike gave him a look. Riley stopped pacing and stood.

"Then why are you two doing whatever it is you're doing?

"Because….we care for our friends. If something's up that's not right, we exploit it."

"Even Spike?"

"Hey…I just got into all this for a girl." Spike said and continued to drink.

"Spikes right though" Liam said. "Buffy's got a type and you're not it. We all go through life wanting someone who we can keep up with or who can keep up with us. You and Buffy…it was nice while it lasted, but you two are from two different worlds. But don't think that she didn't love you." Riley looked at him. "She did. She does. But it's not the same love she will have for the person she will marry."

"How do you know?"

"Cause I've seen that love. I've felt that love before. I don't see it with you two." Riley looked disappointed but knew it was true. "Look I gotta go. For the record, I'm sorry." Liam left the crypt Leaving Spike and Riley.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy was in her workout room, beating on a punching bag. She grunted angrily and scowled as she punches over and over. Riley walked in behind her.

"We need to talk." He said.

"I'm not ready to talk to you yet." Buffy said as she continued to punch the punching bag. Riley walked forward, removing his jacket and tossed it aside.

"Too bad." He took hold of the punching bag. Buffy stopped punching.

"I'm serious. Unless you wanna fight."

"So let's fight. We need to have this out, Buffy. Right now."

"And say what, Riley? 'What were you thinking? How long have you been lying to me?' Nothing you say right now is gonna make this better."

"I realize that. I don't expect... I just need you to hear me out."

"Fine." Riley sighed before starting

"I think, when this thing started, it was just some stupid, immature game. I wanted to even the score after you let Dracula bite you."

"I did not 'let' Dracula…"

"I know. On some level I know that. But I was still spun. I don't know, I - I wanted to know what you felt. I wanted to know why Dracula and Angel have so much power over you."

"You so don't get it."

"I wanted to get it, Buffy. I wanted to get you."

"So this is my fault? Hey, gee, Buffy's so mysterious, I think I'll go out and almost die. I think I'll go and let some vampire bitch to bite me."

"This isn't your fault. It's mine. I feel like hell for what I've put you through. It's just... these girls…"

"Vampires. Killers."

"They made me feel something, Buffy. Something I didn't even know I was missing until…They needed me."

"They needed your money. It wasn't about you."

"No. On some basic level it 'was' about me. My blood, my body." He sighed "When they bit me ... it was beyond passion. They wanted to devour me, all of me."

"And I don't ... make you feel that way? How on earth can you compare me to that? How can you tell me you understand what those vampires are feeling? You aren't a passion to them, you are a snack! A willing, idiotic snack.

"No, I know exactly what they feel when they bite me, because I feel it every time we're together. It's like the whole world falls away. And all there is is you. But you keep me at a distance, Buffy. You didn't even call me when your mom went into the hospital." Buffy knew it was true. She wasn't mad that he cheated on her. She was mad because he could have gotten himself killed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You know, um, I'm sorry that I couldn't take care of you when I thought that my mother was dying."

"It's about me taking care of you! It's about letting me in. So you don't have to be on top of everything all the time."

"But I do. That's part of what being a slayer is. And that's what this is really about, isn't it? You can't handle the fact that I'm stronger than you.

"It's hard sometimes, yeah. But that's not it."

"Well you know what, I think it is. This is me. This is the package. And if it's so deficient that you need to get your kicks elsewhere ... then we really have a problem." They both stared at each other silently for a moment. Then Buffy looked down and Riley sighed.

"They want me back, Buffy ... the military. Buffy looked up. "It's deep undercover, no contact with civilians. Transport's leaving tonight at midnight."

"So is this is goodbye than? Riley shrugs. "You are unbelievable. You're giving me an ultimatum?"

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are! You expect me to get over it now or you're gone!"

"I don't, Buffy, that's not what I meant."

"Well, I have heard enough. I will not take the blame for this." She started to walk away.

"I'm not asking you to." He grabbed her arm

"Let go of me!" She pulled her arm away.

"Or what? You'll hit me?" She stared at him. He spreads his arms out. "Go ahead. Come on, do it."

"Get out of my way."

"I'm serious, Buffy, hit me. Hit me." He walked right up to her. She walked around him and took her jacket off a hook. "I'm leaving, Buffy." She stopped walking but didn't turn to face him. He turned to speak to her back. "Unless you give me a reason to stay ... I'm leaving tonight." She wasn't going to. She knew that she and Riley would end. But she didn't expect it to end like this. She thought maybe he would decide that they weren't working out, but she didn't expect him to do something so stupid. Buffy opened the door and walked out, closing it behind her. Riley looked upset. From the back door entrance outside, Liam stood leaning against the wall. He had been listening to the entire argument. He didn't like that he had to do this, but he did. He had to make sure that some of the good things that happened in the future happened. And that meant that some bad things had to happen. He got up and went to his car.

Buffy was walking through a dark alley. Suddenly the vampires from the brothel appeared behind her. Buffy turned to face them. They formed a loose circle around her. There are about ten of them in total. They said that torching their establishment was a bad idea. They attacked and in fury, Buffy took them out in record time. Buffy stood there staring down the alley. Someone came up behind her.

"So, how'd that work out for ya?" It was Xander. Buffy turned to face him. "Make you feel better?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might need to talk. Then I saw the skirmish happen. I was gonna lend a hand, but I noticed you grew a few extra ones."

"Go home, Xander." She said angrily. She turned and started to stride away.

"Buffy." She turned back to face him.

"I'm serious!"

"So am I. Something's up. You're acting like a crazy person."

"Just leave me alone, Xander. You have no idea what's going on."

"No? Good, so you and Riley 'aren't' imploding?" Buffy looked surprised. "It doesn't take a genius. What I can't figure out is how you never saw it coming."

"How could you know?"

"It was right in front of my Xander face. The guy would do anything for you."

"The guy got himself bit by a vampire! He lied to me. He ran around behind my back and almost got himself killed! And now he tells me that he's leaving with some covert military operation at midnight unless 'I' convince him not to. Now tell me that you understand."

"You gonna let him go?"

"It's not my decision to make."

"Of course it is. In about twenty minutes, Riley's gonna disappear, maybe forever, unless you do something to stop him. See, what I think, you got burned with Angel, then Riley shows up.

"I know the story, Xander."

"But you miss the point. You shut down, Buffy. And you've been treating Riley like the rebound guy. When he's the one that comes along once in a lifetime." Buffy looked dismayed. "He's never held back with you. He's risked everything. And you're about to let him fly because you don't like ultimatums? If he's not the guy, if what he needs from you just isn't there, let him go. Break his heart, and make it a clean break. But if you really think you can love this guy ... I'm talking scary, messy, no-emotions-barred need ... if you're ready for that ... then think about what you're about to lose." Buffy looked up at him, and then looked around anxiously. There are tears in her eyes. She was ready for that love, but not with Riley. She had been ready for a long time now. She wanted Xander to know what the whole truth was. But she couldn't tell him.

"Xander..." She began.

"Run." He said. Buffy knew what he meant. But Buffy knew that this was it. Riley was gone and she and Angel were going to be together. She had to get to Liam so that she can save the man she truly loved. She turned and ran. Buffy ran as hard as she could down the main street of Sunnydale, her expression still anxious. She wanted to get to Angel now. It was time. Liam came rolling down the street in his car and skidded to a stop. Buffy stopped to.

"Mom get in." he said and she ran to the other side and got in. He roared off down the street to the outskirts of town, heading to LA. Buffy had her heads rested on the window in self pity.

"I tried to love him you know." She said to Liam. "I wanted to love him. I even think I did. Even after I knew what the future would hold."

"That's what makes everyone love you so much mom." Liam said looking at her. She looked at him. "Your heart has no capacity to the amount of people you can love. It does have a limit on how much you love each person. But what makes so special, is that you try to go beyond that limit when you can." He looked back at the road. "You try to do everything you can to help everyone in every way you can see. Riley was right. You're one hell of a woman." Buffy smiled and wiped a few tears from her eyes and composed herself.

"So…" she said once she was calm. "What's going on?" Liam told her all that he told Giles after they got the news about Joyce's surgery. Buffy had the same expressions that Giles had. Some had anger towards Angel for attempting to lose his soul, help the woman who damned him and tried to kill her mother and frame him for it, and having a child that wasn't hers. But she pushed those feeling aside when Liam told her his plans. She was all for it. She wanted, more than anything, to be with Angel and have those three children that would be her family in the future.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX

Angel was sitting behind his desk. Wesley, Gunn and Cordelia were sitting on the other side of it. He had just told them about his encounter with Darla and Drusilla at Holland's house and how he didn't do anything to help them.

"And you - just walked away?" Wesley said.

"No, I walked to my car and then I drove away." Angel replied.

"You didn't do 'anything'?" Gunn asked.

"You allowed Darla and Drusilla to have free reign." Wesley exclaimed.

"I didn't bring either one of them into this. They did." Angel replied.

"You could have stopped them."

"And I will."

"When?" Cordelia asked. "After they've finished off all the people you don't like?"

"Angel," Wesley began. "While it's certainly true that these lawyers brought this on themselves - what you did is..."

"...is wrong."

"You went too far." Gunn said.

"We've all been worried about you," Wesley said after a moment. "and I guess it's fair to say we all share some of the blame. - We should have spoken up sooner."

"And louder."

"You have to change the way you've been doing things." Cordelia said. "Don't you see where this is taking you?"

"Listen to her!" Wesley backed her up. "Right now the three of us are all that's standing between you and real darkness." Angel sat quietly for a moment

"I do." He finally said then looked at them. "You're all fired." The three sat there like frozen statues.

"No they're not" came a voice from the office door and every one turned to see who it was. Buffy stood there with her arms crossed, staring at Angel. A man stood behind her who looked like Angel but had on sunglasses. "Hello Angel"

"Buffy" Angel breathed. Buffy came up to the front of the desk, still with her arms crossed, looking at him.

"We need to talk."

**I know that some you guys might hate me for having Angel's first appearance short, but this is how I saw it happening if Joss Whedon did it. Next chapter will have 100% Angel, 100% Buffy, and 100% Liam. Be glad that Riley is out of the picture. Review and comment. I'll update soon.**


	13. Redefinition

Chapter 13: Redefinition

**I know you guys wanted Angel's appearance to be bigger in last chapter, but it is in this one. Angel gets a talkin to, and Darla and Drusilla will have a big surprise waiting. Some people have said something's about why I made Buffy and Riley sleep together, well it's because I didn't really think of a scene to replace it and I wanted to get to Angel like really bad. So sorry, but now it's fixed. So Enjoy.**

Buffy was still standing in front of Angel's desk with her arms crossed looking sternly at him. She wasn't happy about what had been happening to him in LA, and she sure wasn't happy about what Liam told her what he will do. If anyone was going to stop it, it would be her.

"Buffy!" Cordelia said. "Buffy's here."

"Who's Buffy?" Gunn asked.

"The Vampire Slayer." Wesley answered.

"And Angels ex." Cordelia added.

"Cordelia," Buffy registered to her without breaking eye contact with Angel. "Can we have the room? Angel and I need to talk."

"Sure…Sure." They all got up and left but Cordelia turned back. "So are we fired?" She heard a 'No' from Buffy and a 'Yes' from Angel whom both spoke at the same time. "Got it." She left. The AI team were in the middle of the lobby while Liam stood by the office door. He was waiting for his mother's signal.

"So that's Angels ex." Gunn said. "And she's a vampire Slayer, whatever that is."

"The Vampire Slayer is a girl born in every generation. Wielding the powers to combat the forces of darkness." Wesley explained.

"Back in Sunnydale, she and Angel had a thing for three years." Cordelia said. "One night they slept together and Angel went all Grrr and evil."

"Say what?" Gunn asked.

"It's in Angel's curse that gave him his soul." Wesley explained again. "If he experiences a moment of perfect happiness, then he will lose it."

"Must be some girl then." Gunn said with a grin. Liam wanted to punch Gunn for what he said about his mother but stayed his ground. He didn't want too much attention. "And the Angel look alike who is trying to pass off the Terminator is?" They all looked at Liam with similar expressions.

"Don't know" Cordelia said. "New boyfriend maybe. She did like tall dark and handsome types." she said with a grin.

"If you don't mind us asking" Wesley began. "But who are you?" Liam said nothing.

"Do you even speak?" Gunn asked. Liam nodded his head.

"Can you say anything to us?" Cordelia asked a little impatiently.

"I'm a friend" Liam said. This got a nod from them all, but they still looked suspiciously at him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX

"What are you doing here?" Angel asked Buffy.

"I came here for you." Buffy answered.

"Last time that happened, it didn't really work out well."

"I know. But this time is going to be different." She dropped her arms and looked at him caringly. "Angel I don't want to fight with you. I want to help you."

"You can't help me" Angel got up out of his chair. "You don't even know what's going on to understand…"

"Darla" Angel looked at her with surprise. "Wolfram and Hart brought back Darla as human to mess with you. And it's working. They want you to go crazy so that you go down a dark path and at the end, lose your soul. I'm here to not only help you stay on the path of light, but to get you back." She walked up to him and looked at him lovingly. "Angel I love you. I will always love you."

"Last time I checked, you had a new boyfriend who you love and sleep with." Angel said with a scowl.

"He's gone. He left me because he couldn't handle who I was. You always could. Angel I need you back in my life. I love you so much. I tried to love someone else but you were always there in the back of mind. Riley was pretty much convenient after our break up. But he wasn't you."

"Yeah, well that's great Buffy, but I left for a reason. We can't be together. I can't give you a normal life."

"Screw a normal life." She yelled. "I'll never be normal. Everyday I'm fighting a new evil. I can't walk away from it. I never will."

"Yeah, but I still can't give you what you deserve. So that's why I'm here. I'm doing things my way. What, you just come running to me all because your perfect little life isn't what you want it to be?" He yelled. Buffy had tears forming in her eyes. "We can't work Buffy. We won't. And as for Darla, you don't know anything. She's my problem. I'm going to fix it my way. And then I'm going to take out all the evil in this city. That's why I'm here. You can either back me up or go home. I don't need some cheerleader bossing me around." That hurt Buffy a lot. Angel only talked to her like that once and that was when Faith had turned herself in and she didn't like Angel helping her.

"Angel" She began. "I know what's going on. I know what you're going through. You save so many people that you don't know and barely care about. But when there is someone that you can't save that you do care about it hurts and you think that life is unfair. I know that well because it happened to you when we were together. You tried your best to save Darla. Give her a second chance that she was given but it wasn't enough. And it's never going to be enough. The only thing you can take away from it is that you are willing to go the distance to save others. You a have a good heart and that's what I love about you." She took a breath and just looked at him. "There is evil is this world Angel. There is evil in all of us. We can't get rid of it. We can only walk away from it by the choices that we make. Please Angel I beg of you. Walk away from this." Angel just glared at her.

"Great speech Buff, but it didn't do a lot of good." She was taken aback. Angle had called her 'Buff'. Only Angelus did that. "Now why don't you and your new boyfriend or whatever he is, and go back to Sunnydale and leave me the hell alone. You have things you need to take care of and I have things I need to take care of. And they don't cross." He started walking to the door.

"I you won't walk away for me, then do it for our son." Angel stopped dead. Did she just say 'son'. He looked aback at her confused.

"What are you talking about?" she walked passed him to the door and opened it.

"Liam, can you come in?" the man that was with her walked in as she closed the door. "Angel I want to introduce you to someone." Angel just stood there glaring as Lima took off his glasses. Angel looked at him and was surprised to see that the man looked like him but had Buffy's exact eyes. "Angel, this is our son, Liam. He's from the future." Angel was stunned. The man that was apparently his son came over to him.

"Hi, Dad." He said. Angel was till staring wide eyed at him.

"What the hell is going on?" he said.

"A lot dad. I know what this path you're about to go on will lead you and I'm trying to stop that. Mom and I need you. There is an apocalypse in the future that we can't fight and I came back to stop it. To do that, I need your help." Angel just stared at him in disbelief. Then he started to laugh.

"Wow." He said. "So this is their new plan. Darla went rogue and Wolfram and Hart sends a guy that looks like me to get me to leave LA so that they can have free reign. Sorry not buying it."

"Angel it's not a trick." Buffy said. "He is our son. Yours and mine."

"I don't believe it."

"Sorry dad but I didn't want to do this." Liam walked up to Angel. A stake came out of his wrist blades and he plunged it into Angel's heart with lightning fast reflexes.

"ANGEL!" Buffy screamed. There was a flash of light and Angel and Liam stood in his office but the atmosphere had changed to blue. Liam took the stake out and Angel held his chest. He noticed that he didn't turn to dust and look confused.

"Welcome to limbo dad." Liam said. "I need to get through to your head and I don't have a lot of time."

"How did I get here?" Angel asked.

"A spell of my own invention."

"So I kill you and I go back."

"Maybe, or maybe you get stuck in here forever. That's a possibility. But do you really wanna risk the life of your own son in the process." Angel looked down. If by some miracle it was his son, he didn't want to kill him. "Dad" Angel looked up. "I'm telling you the truth, I am your son. The powers felt that you deserved some happiness and they gave you me and Kathy. My twin sister." Angel looked even more surprised then before. "I know that you probably don't believe me, but that's why I brought you here. To see the future and what it holds." He walked forward to Angel. Angel just stood.

"How?" Liam touched his shoulder and there was a flash of light. Angel and Liam were now in a hospital bedroom. Angel looked around and he saw Buffy in a hospital bed with the Scooby gang around her. Then he saw himself holding a baby in a pink blanket and Buffy was holding one in a blue blanket.

"Angel look at we did." Buffy said. She was smiling and crying at the same time. "It's a miracle."

"It's two miracles." future Angel said.

"Buffy they are so cute." Willow said.

"Yeah." Xander said. "Two little bundles of puke and dirty diaper cuteness."

"Xander" Dawn had hit him. He whimpered. "I want some of my own."

"Sorry"

"What are you going to name them?" a man who Angel didn't recognize but looked like him with blue eyes.

"Well." Future Angel began. "We decided that we would take one of each and name them." he looked to the pink blanketed baby. "She will be named Kathy. After her aunt."

"Kathy?" Buffy said with a raised eyebrow. "Angel I told you the story about my first college roommate."

"Hey, you said I could name her whatever I want and I chose Kathy."

"Kathy Summers." Willow pondered. "I like it."

"Yeah" said Dawn. "It's got a nice ring to it."

"Ok but what about my baby brother?" Said the man.

"Liam." Buffy said. "We'll name him Liam. After his brave daddy." Angel smiled.

"It's perfect." He said and came closer to Buffy. He kissed her and then the baby boy. Buffy kissed him back and kissed the girl in his arms.

"Can I hold one of them?" Asked the man. Angel leaned and held out the girl to the man. He took her and held her. He smiled. They all smiled. "Hey there Kathy. I'm your brother." The other Angel watched with tears forming in his eyes. This was a beautiful moment. That he dreamed of having with Buffy. It was almost perfect. He just wanted to be the Angel holding his daughter.

"You see dad." Liam said. "This is your future and mine. But it can only get there if you stay on the path of good. Mom loves you and so do I. We need you dad." Angel wiped tears from his eyes and stared at his grown up son.

"How?"

"Its starts with you listening to us first. You need to forget about Darla. She's not here. She's dead…..Again. She has no future with you Dad. Yours is with mom and me and Kathy and Connor."

"Connor?"

"The man right next to you." He pointed to Connor. "In my future, he is yours and Darla's son." Angel looked surprised. "That life you won in the trials. It wasn't for Darla but when you slept with her at the end of your dark path, you impregnated her. She would sacrifice herself to bring Connor into the world. He has a shitty childhood. Mostly because I think he didn't have a strong mother figure. I want to give him that. I want to give him mom. He loved her in the future and I want him to be apart of the family completely. But it starts with you first." Angel comprehended everything. He would have children, a wife, happiness. Happiness.

"What abut my curse?"

"Willow binds your soul in the future. I have the spell so we can do it now. Dad you have gone through a lot in your time and I believe you deserve some bit of happiness. What do you say?" Angel pondered for a moment. The chance to have happiness. The chance to be with Buffy. It was everything he wanted. "I will not take 'no' for an answer." Angel nodded his head.

"Ok" he said with tears in his eyes.

"Ok?"

"Yeah." Angel smiled and Liam smiled back. They both enveloped each other in a hug. "My son. I have a son."

"You will dad. And another son and a daughter." There was a flash of light and Angel and Liam stood in his office again. The atmosphere was back to normal. Buffy just saw Liam stake his father and now she saw him hugging him and angel was hugging back. She was confused. Angel opened his watery eyes and saw Buffy standing there.

"Buffy" he let go of Liam and enveloped her in a hug too. She hugged back. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Buffy just held him.

"It's ok. I'm not mad. Just please don't leave."

"I wont" he pulled back and kissed. It was a passionate kiss. One he wanted to give her for a long time now. She kissed back with just as much passion.

"Hate to break up the love reunion but your son is watching." Liam said. They pulled away and enveloped him in a hug to. They were a family and they were together. They will be together. They pulled out of the hug and just stared at one another. Then Buffy looked at Liam with a quizzical expression.

"How and why did you stake your father and he didn't turn to dust?"

"Spell I have. It brings me and the person I killed to a limbo state. Great way to talk to someone for along time and only a second passes here. I can also show memories to whoever's in it. I showed dad the day me and Kathy were born."

"Wow. You probably have to kill me so that I can see it."

"You'll live it. It's better." Then Angel remembered something.

"Wait, what about Darla and Drusilla?

"I'll take care of them. You need to tell your team you're sorry and start packing."

"Packing?"

"You're going to came back to Sunnydale with us." Buffy explained.

"But I can't leave my team."

"And you wont" Liam said. "Tell them that you're taking a two weeks vacation. Three at most to get your head on straight. They can reach you if anything horrible comes up. While you're in Sunnydale you can help us with an apocalypse that we're facing, get your soul bound, and spend time with mom. But I recommend that if you're going to do 'it', either wait till after this thing has passed or use protection." Buffy and Angel looked at him with shocked and quizzical expressions.

"What?" they both said in unison. Liam sighed.

"Dad won a life in the trials. The next time he has unprotective sex, the life is cashed in in the form of a child. If you guys do the deed now, mom will be pregnant while we are dealing with super strong demon chick. That'll slow her down and will put Connor, me, Kathy, and mom at risk. If you guys can't hold it until after the crisis has past, use protection." Both of them understood.

"He's right" Buff said. "We have to deal with this demon chick first. And probably wait until we're married."

"Yeah," Angel responded. "Best wait until then to have a child." He smiled. So did she.

"Great" Liam said. "Now that that has been taken care of, I need to go."

"Where are you going?" Buffy asked.

"To see family. Darla and Drusilla need to be taken care of."

"There dangerous" Angel explained. "They could kill you." Liam scoffed.

"Please. They should be scared of me. Plus they don't know I'm here. I got the advantage." He put on his sunglasses and headed for the door then stopped and turned back to them. "You wouldn't happen to have a place I can start looking for them?" Angel thought for a moment.

"Merl. He's a parasite demon that lives in the sewers on the west side of the city. He might know."

"Thanks." Liam turned and left.

"What's with the glasses?"

"Tell you later." Buffy said. "Now you need to talk to your team."

"Right." They turned to the entrance and went into the lobby where the rest of the AI team was.

"Angel." Wesley said. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah Wes. I think I'm going to be ok." He looked at them. "Guys I'm sorry. The only reason I wanted to fire you guys was because I didn't want you anywhere near me when I would go down this dark path. But I'm not going to anymore."

"So we're not fired?" Cordelia asked.

"No. You're not. In fact, there is going to be some changes around here."

"Like?" Gunn asked.

"I'm….going to take a vacation."

"A vacation?" Wesley asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Wolfram and Hart is getting to me and I need time to get out and get my head straight. They can't get to me if I'm not in town so…."

"Are you getting back together with Buffy?" Cordelia asked. Buffy and Angel looked at each other and smiled.

"We'll be working out the details but…..yeah. Guess we are."

"You do realize what happened last time you guys were together right?"

"Yeah." Buffy said. "That's one of the things we need to work out."

"It's one of the last things on our minds." Angel said looking back at his. "And I'm not going to leave you guys high and dry. I'm only a phone call away if you need me. And I'll be back full time in two weeks. Three at most."

"Angel" Wesley said. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah. I trust you guys to handle everything here. And you guys probably don't want a dark me do you?" they shook there heads. "Then it's settled. And until I get back, Wes, you're in charge."

"Me?"

"Him?" Cordelia asked bewildered. "But I was here first. I helped start this agency."

"All you do is push papers." Gunn retorted. Cordelia gave him a look.

"Guys" Angel said trying to break up the impending fight. "I know you'll do fine. And if Wes does start acting like a dictator, call."

"You got it boss." Cordelia said. Buffy and Angel smiled.

"You sure?" Wesley asked again. Both Buffy and Angel rolled there eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was day and Liam had trouble finding Merl. Apparently this demon didn't want to be found by anybody. But Liam got lucky. He was walking through the sewers looking and got a tip on where exactly Merl was and found the place. He knocked on the door. Merl answered and looked at him.

"Angel?"

"No. but I get confused with him a lot. Merl right?"

"Who's asking?"

"Liam. I need your help."

"Sorry buddy, I don't help without…" Liam held up three hundred dollars. "What can I do you for?"

"I need information on two female vampires. Darla and Drusilla. Know where I can find them?"

"Well…..Sorry buddy. Never heard of them." Liam held it away and pulled out knife to Merl's throat.

"Look Merl, we can do this the easy three hundred dollar way, or the hard six inch steel way. I prefer to do things the easy way so….Help me out here."

"Ok, ok…they've been hitting all the underground hot spots. Looking for demons to join some, ah, crew they're running. That's all I know, man, I swear." Liam pushed the knife closer to his throat. "Okay! Okay. Okay. You didn't hear this from me. But you know that little Bar-and-bite club on La Cienega and Washington? That's the only demon haunt they ain't been to." Liam raised an eyebrow. "That's all I know man I swear." Liam gave him the money but didn't lower the knife.

"You best not be lying to me. I got a refund policy with people I give money to and screw me over. It doesn't end well for the person I get money back from."

"I'm not lying I swear." Liam put the knife away and walked out.

"Thanks"

"You know you're more civilized then Angel."

"I know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later at night, at the bar and bite club, a fight was taking place between a green demon and a vampire, ringed by a crowd of demons watching and cheering. The demon danced around the vampire, hitting him finally grabbing the vampire in a choke-hold, trying to rip his head off. The vampire slapped the floor with his hand and the demon released him. Rhythmic clapping interrupted the cheers for the winner. The crowd parted to reveal Darla, followed by Drusilla walking into the middle of the circle.

"Wow." Darla said. "That was something. But violence without victims, see, that's where you lose me."

"Who the hell are you?" one demon asked.

"My name's Darla and this is Drusilla. We're new in town though some of you know us by reputation."

"I never heard of you before." Drusilla reached up from behind him and casually ripped off his ears. The demon dropped to the floor with a scream, hands pressed to the sides of his head.

"Now you never will. I trust we have everyone's attention? Good. We've come with a little proposition." Liam was hiding in the mist of the crowd under a grey hoodie with his sunglasses on. "Me and my girl, we're not just the new thing in town, we're the only thing in town. And we're in the market for some... Well, one doesn't really want to use the term 'muscular slaves...' Actually, one does. Unfortunately for most, we're only looking for the best. Those creatures who not only excel at devastation, but revel in it. Our crusade is one of malevolent joy. If you think you have what it takes to join us, auditions are tonight." She pulled a business card out of her cleavage. "At this address. Winners will have the opportunity to foment mass-destruction, losers will be gutted and left for dead." She dropped the card on the floor. "Have a nice night." They left and so did Liam with a smile. This was going to be fun.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Angel and Buffy were in Angel's room packing bags. Angel didn't have a lot so it wouldn't take long. Buffy had stayed for the rest of the morning and spent time catching up with Angel on what had happened in the past year and about Liam. Angel wanted to know his son and Buffy was making sure he did in case Liam decided to cut him out like he did her. He was packing up the last bag and was smiling. Buffy noticed.

"What?" she asked with a smile.

"It's just" he turned to her. "It's still hard to believe that we'll have a son. Two sons and a daughter."

"I know. It's been four months since I found out and I still can't believe it."

"I mean, you, me, our children. Happiness." He came over to her and wrapped his arms around her. Its like a dream come true."

"Hold of on to that happiness until we get your soul in check. I don't want to have to deal with Angelus."

"You won't." He kept smiling. "But still."

"I know."

"Our son. We have a son."

"He's pretty great isn't he?"

"Yeah he is."

"Still trying to get his plans though. He made me stay with Riley for so long even after I knew he was your son."

"Yeah, why is that?"

"He wanted Riley to leave on his terms. If I broke up with him all of the sudden to get back together with you, he probably get all mad and stake you. And that would be bad."

"Yeah it would. We wouldn't' have our son."

"And the future would be even more ruined than it already is."

"But we're going to stop it. Together."

"Side by side."

"Like always." He looked at her lovingly. "You still my girl?"

"Always." They kissed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Liam walked up to an abandoned building. He slid a big garage door to the side. Inside were assortments of different demons waiting. They looked at him.

"You here for the audition?" one demon asked. Liam held up his hand and the door closed behind him.

"Nope." He pulled out his axe. "I am the audition." He twirled the axe in his hand, "Who's first?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Darla and Drusilla walked up to the abandoned building.

"I want to make this quick, alright?" Darla said. "We get in there, weed out the losers, and get out. I've got precious little patience left." Drusilla looked at the building

"Oh, it's beautiful! Dank and dark. It reeks of death."

"That's motor oil, Dru." Darla said with a smile.

"Can we buy it? It could be our castle."

"There's no view. Plus we're broke. Though I suppose Lindsey could help out in that respect, if they haven't killed him yet."

"I like the girl. She's wicked."

"They're sweet kids. Naïve, but they're only human. I doubt they even know what Wolfram and Hart's true plan for Angel is. But I have to say, my curiosity is peeked." Dru put her hand on the handle of the door.

"Ten little soldiers, all in a line. A shot rings out…" She slapped her hands together to make the sound of a shot. "Down to nine."

"Ten? I'd be happy if we could find three who can hack it." Darla slid the door open and they walked in. The floor was littered with demon corpses and severed limbs and a pile of dust between them.

"Dead already? Bad soldiers!"

"Who did this?" Darla looked around. "I know that someone's here." She said louder into the building. "Angel?"

"_Run and catch. Run and catch. The lamb is caught in the blackberry patch._" Sang a voice that neither Darla nor Drusilla heard before. "Remember that lullaby Dru? Your mom use to sing it to you. I still remember the words even though it was so long ago."

"Who are you?" Darla asked again. A figure dropped from the ceiling and landed like a cat a few feet in front of them. The figure stood up. It was Liam. "Angel?"

"No. but I get confused with him a lot."

"Who are you?" Liam took out a vial and drank it down in one gulp.

"Liam" he said and threw the vial behind him. It broke when it hit the floor. "But I'll let Dru fill in the blanks." Darla turned to Drusilla.

"Dru, honey what's he talking about?" Drusilla looked at Liam and then gasped in horror.

"Daddy….Daddy will be very bad….Very naughty daddy." Drusilla said.

"Dru what tare you talking about?"

"He's the son of Angel beast and the Slayer…..Baby brother. The future has come to past." Darla stared wide eyed at Drusilla then turned to Liam.

"The future? Your Angels son from the future?"

"And Buffy." Liam said. "That's what really gets under demons skin."

"The Cheerleader?" Darla was shocked.

"Well she's not a cheerleader now, but yeah."

"How? That's impossible. Vampires can't impregnate."

"But Angel always managed to do the impossible." Liam started to pace in front of them. "You see grandma, the future holds a lot. You won't get to see it." He stopped and looked at her taking his glasses off. "Angel has future, and you're not in it."

"Oh I'm gonna be. But you're not. I'll find that cheerleader and end her life. And I'll make Angelus come back to me. Then we'll find Spike, and have the whirlwind again." She smirked.

"But before you can do that," he pulled out his axe a twirled it. "You gotta go through me."

"With pleasure." Darla and Drusilla ran at Liam. Liam ducked a punch from Darla and blocked a blow from Drusilla. He kicked her away. He swiped at Darla but she dodged it and kicked him. He stumbled backwards but composed himself and swung again. She dodged again and kicked the axe away. They fought hand to hand now. Liam swiped her feet and she went down. He went to stomp on her but she rolled and kicked him into a kneeling position. She grabbed his head in a head lock. "You might be Angel's son, but I can smell you're part human. Which means you die the same way they do. Maybe just for Angel, I'll sire you. And he can deal with the loss of his precious baby boy."

"You won't get that far grandma." Liam gasped.

"Why not?"

"Because…" Liam pulled out his knife and stabbed Darla in the leg. She yelled and Liam used that to break free. He whirled around and protruded a stake from his wrist blades and stabbed Darla. He hit home. "Because I'm full of surprises." She looked down at the stake in her chest.

"No. No. Not again." She turned to dust.

"GRANDMOTHER!" Drusilla cried and lunged at Liam. Liam caught her by the throat and spun her down onto the ground and straddled her. He had his stake raised for a finishing blow. Drusilla was whimpering a little.

"I oughta kill you Dru. I oughta kill you for everything you ever done. All the shit you will pull. Everything you will do to me. I oughta put you out of your misery and end the most horrible act Angelus has ever caused" She had tears forming in her eyes. Then the stake went back into his wrist. "But I won't. On some level that I can't understand, I can't kill you. You're my sister. But be warned, if you come back to LA, if you threatened anyone of my family again….I will not hesitate for a second time. And don't think I will. I've killed a family member in the future before. They weren't a vampire. I can do it again and it'll be easier. You're a vampire. Consider this your only warning Dru. Stay out of Dads city." He got up and picked up his axe and knife. He left the building leaving Drusilla crying. He also had tears in his eyes. Remembering when he had to kill one of his family members. That had to be the worst day ever. But he'll make sure that the new future will not come to that. He will have his family again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Liam returned to the hotel later that night. Everyone was still up when he entered. Buffy and Angel were on the couch talking, Cordelia was at the counter, Wes was at the computer looking at a tome, and Gunn was sitting on the settee playing his gameboy. When Liam entered they all stopped and looked at him. Buffy and Angel got up and went to him.

"What happed?" Buffy asked. Liam got went down the steps.

"Darla's dead." He said.

"And Drusilla?" Angel asked.

"Alive, but not well."

"Did she escape?" Wesley asked coming over. Liam hesitated before answering

"Yes. But not before I was able to give her a warning."

"What warning?" Cordelia asked.

"If she steps foot in LA again or harms anyone here, I'll kill."

"Ya think she'd heed it?" Gunn asked.

"I would if I was her."

"I'm just glad that we don't have to deal with Darla anymore." Buffy said.

"Second" Angel said. Liam took in a breath. "you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little whirled by the fight. Darla could keep her own."

"She usually does"

"You guys ready to go?"

"Yeah" Buffy said. "The bags are packed up in Angels car and should get back to Sunnydale just before sunrise."

"Good" Angel turned to his team.

"Thank you guys for being here for me. I couldn't ask for a better team. Or better friends." They all smiled.

"You just make sure you stay you, and don't get all groiny with Buffy." Cordelia said.

"I will" Angel said and they hugged. He turned to Wesley.

"Wes, I have full faith in your abilities here" he put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe if you do a great job, you stay leader permantly."

"Really?" Wes asked with a little grin.

"I've been thinking and I don't think I'm the leader type yet. But I have a feeling you will be."

"Thank you" they hugged too. Angel turned to Gunn.

"You better not hug me." Gunn said.

"No Gunn, just wanna say that before we met, you were good warrior. You keep these guys safe."

"I will man." They high fived and did a semi-hug. "But don't rely on me to save your ass all the time."

"Don't worry, I wont." Angel turned to his family and they started to head out. He turned back to his friends. "See ya guys soon. Keep me updated."

"We will" Wesley said. The left the hotel and made their way to their cars. Buffy turned to Liam.

"So how did Dru really escape?" Liam looked down and back at his mother.

"I let her go."

"Why?"

"I couldn't kill her. Not then. On some level, I couldn't kill her."

"Yu realize that she could be out there right now plotting something crazy." Angel said.

"I know. And then next time I see her I will kill her. I just couldn't then."

"Why?"

"She's my sister. She reminds me a lot of Kathy."

"But she's not" Buffy said. "The next you face her, you better kill her."

"Don't worry mom, I will. I promise. Now if we don't hurry up, we'll get back home when the sun rises. I hope dad has a blanket in the car for that."

"I do. Jus tin case."

"Then lets go." They got in their cars. Buffy rode with Angel and Liam would drive behind them. They drove off into the night for Sunnydale. The Summers family were together finally.

**So here's the end of the chapter. Angel and Buffy are back together. Darla is dead, Drusilla is alive. I have her planned for something in the future. And it looks like Connor will be Angel's and Buffy's. Liam killed one of his family members. That revelation won't come for some time, but it will come and you might be shocked at who it was and why. More will follow with our heroes. Stay tuned.**


	14. Unwelcome Back

Chapter 14: Unwelcome Back

**So I'm back with the non-canon. In this chapter, everyone that knows Angel will have a different reaction to his return, and we'll dive more into Liam past with another flashback. Also be prepared for something completely unexpected. Enjoy.**

Giles was in bed sleeping. The clock on his bedside table read _5:02_. All of the sudden his phone rang. He stirred his sleep as it kept ringing. He woke up and picked up the phone.

"Hello." He said sleepily.

"_Grandpa. Its Liam."_

"Liam" Giles was a little more awake now. "Any particular reason you are calling me at 5 in the morning?"

"_Wanted to give you an update on things._ _Darla's dead. Dad is saved and we are leaving the city now heading towards Sunnydale. By the time we get there, it'll about sunrise."_

"Oh, then I suggest you hurry."

"_No shit. How's grandma doing? Is she ok?"_

"Yes. She's fine. She was released from the hospital last night actually. She was very pleased about it."

"_Well that's good. How'd she take my story?"_

"She was surprised at everything I told her. Much like I was when you and Buffy did. She wants to ask you some questions herself. I told her that you might not be able to because of the dangers of future knowledge."

"_Thanks grandpa. But we'll be arriving there in a couple of hours so I might answer some questions. Do you think you can be at Mom's by the time we arrive?"_

"Absolutely."

"_Great, I'll see you there."_ Liam hung up as did Giles. He went back to his bed and lied there for some more sleep before getting up. Liam hung up his phone and started dialing again.

….

Angel was driving with Buffy in the passenger seat. He looked at her and then back at the road with a thoughtful expression. Buffy noticed.

"What? She asked.

"What?" He said in return.

"It looks like your thinking about something."

"I….Well….When we get back to Sunnydale, Liam's going to put the spell on me to bind my soul."

"That's correct."

"That way I can have perfect happiness with you and never lose it."

"Also true."

"But I have this life that will be our first son, and Liam told us to wait or…..uh…use…..protection."

"Yes he did."

"Uh….well….the thing is…..Uh."

"Angel spit it out. What is it?"

"I…um...don't ….know…..about protection."

"What you think that I can still get pregnant if you use protection?"

"No…I mean that…..I don't….. 'know'…..about protection."

"Oh my god. You don't know how to use a condom?" Angel had a guilty expression on. Buffy looked like she was about to laugh.

"Well…when I was human they didn't have them. And now that I'm a vampire, it isn't something I worry about. Until now." Buffy was laughing. "It's not funny."

"It's a little funny." Angel had a scowl on his face now. Buffy quieted down. "It's ok Angel. They have stuff for women too." Angel looked relieved. "So, you don't have to worry."

"Good. Good." He smiled at her and looked back at the road. Buffy shook her head and laughed a little more.

…..

Liam was driving behind his parents smiling. He had his parents together and they were going to be happy. Nothing he could think of could ruin this moment. All of the sudden, an old pick up truck hit him from behind. Liam controlled his car, not wanting it to be driven off the road. The truck hit him again. Liam was getting pissed. It hit him again.

"Bastard's really startin to piss me off" he said turned his car 180 degrees and screeched to a stop. The truck went by and stopped too. Liam got out as did the driver of the pick up. The Driver was wearing jeans, a thick, plaid flannel shirt, cowboy boots, and he had a prosthetic arm. "Hey buddy, we got a problem here." The man walked up to Liam punched him full force. Liam went down with a groan. The man went to his truck and pulled out a sledgehammer from the cab. He walked back over to Liam.

"You're gonna tell me everything." He said and Liam with the sledge to the chin, rolling him over onto his back "How you killed her." He hit Liam again. "Why you killed her." He kicked Liam. "You're gonna tell me everything."

"Who the hell are you?" Liam said looking at the man.

"Names Lindsey. And you're going to pay for what you did to Darla."

"Darla? Why?"

"Because I loved her." He hauled back with the sledge and slammed it down into Liam's gut.

"How'd you know? Drusilla?" Liam gasped.

"No. She left town. Got a tip from some demons that watched the show. She seemed angry with you. Don't know why. But you're going to tell me." he hit Liam again in the gut.

….

Angel kept on driving then looked back and noticed that Liam had stopped.

"Hey, I wonder why Liam stopped?" Buffy looked into the mirror.

"Looks like he's havin a chi chat with some guy in a pick me up." Angel slowed down and turned around.

"Lets see what the problem is." They drove and saw a man beating Liam with a sledgehammer. "Oh god" They stopped and got out. The man was beating Liam then hit him in the gut. Liam curled up around his gut with a groan then rolled onto all four in an effort to get back up. Lindsey slammed the sledge down on his back, dropping him back to the ground.

"Tell me!" he yelled and hit him again.

"Lindsey" Angel shouted. Lindsey stopped and turned to Angel.

"I thought you might have had something to do with it. But hold on ok, I'll deal with you in a minute." Angel and Buffy made a move towards Lindsey.

"Wait." Liam gasped. They stopped. "I got this." He made his way up. "It's between me and him. I got this."

"You heard him" Lindsey said and slammed the hammer into Liam again. "It's between us." He hit him again. "Now tell me what you know." he hit him again. "How come Darla was angry with you." Hit him again. "Why did you killed her." Hit him again. "Everything" hit. "Tell me." hit again. "Tell me! - Tell me!"

"No." Lindsey swung the sledge one handed like a polo mallet and hit Liam under the chin. Liam spun onto his back and ceased to move. Buffy gasped in horror and Angel had anger all over his face. Lindsey made to swing to the sledge one more time onto Liam. As it was about to make contact, Liam grabbed it. Lindsey looked confused "I'm sorry Lindsey." He pushed him away with the sledge and got up, still holding it. "I have a plan, and Darla wasn't part of it. She was interfering. But I'm sorry." Liam hit Lindsey with a hard right hook. Lindsey went down and pushed himself back up using the side of the truck for support. "I really am." He hit Lindsey in the kidneys, then turned him around. "I'm sorry that you fell in love with her." He kneed him in the stomach, then pulled him back up against the side of the truck. "I'm sorry that she never loved you back." He hit him with a left hook. "I'm sorry you're gonna have to live with that." He picked him back up. "I'm sorry that I had to kill her when there could have been another way." He smacked him against the side of the truck. "I'm sorry you made the wrong choice." He hit him with a right hook, dropping Lindsey to the ground. Liam picked up the sledge and brought it down in an overhead arc, smashing Lindsey's plastic hand to pieces. Lindsey froze, staring at his shattered hand. He glanced up at Liam who dropped the hammer. "Could have been worse. It could've the other one."

"Who are you?" Lindsey asked with a frown. Liam picked him up by the collar with one hand.

"Your worst nightmare." Liam hit Lindsey several times before he fell into unconsciousness. Liam stared at the unconscious body, then picked it up and placed it in the driver seat of the truck. He closed the door and patted the hood of the truck. "Nice truck" the truck roar to life and backed up. It turned and started heading in the other direction towards LA. Buffy and Angel went over to him.

"Are you Ok?" Buffy asked concerned and looking at his injuries.

"I'm fine mom. This is nothing remember." She did. He was tortured by Angelus. Every bit of pain that could be dealt to him now was nothing.

"You can't blame a mother for caring."

"No you can't"

"Why was Lindsey after you again?" asked Angel.

"Apparently some demon saw me dust Darla and Lindsey didn't take to kindly to that."

"Does that mean that Wolfram and Hart know?" Buffy asked.

"Don't think so, he said a demon told him. No demon knows who I am. They probably know of me."

"So that's good." Angel said. "How did the truck drive off if Lindsey was unconscious?"

"Put a spell on the truck to drive back to his place. He doesn't know where we were going so I doubt that he would follow." Lima looked the sky. "We need to go now. Lindsey held us up for too long. When we get back, it'll be past sunrise." They all got back in there cars and sped off, not wanting to have Angel turn to dust and Liam no to be born.

….

Joyce walked down the stairs of her house in a bathrobe and a scarf around her head to hide the bandage that was there. She walked into the kitchen and gasped when she saw a man in there. She relaxed when the man was Giles making tea.

"Oh…Rupert you scared me."

"I do apologize. I let myself in."

"Not that I'm not happy to have you here, but why are you here?"

"I received a call form Liam a few hours ago. He and Buffy and Angel are on their way here."

"They are? How are they?"

"Liam seemed fine on the phone. They succeeded in stopping Angel form going down his dark path and he is coming here to recuperate."

"Oh…Well that's good." The back door opened and Spike came in with a blanket on him. He took it off and turned to the adults.

"Hey." Is all he said.

"Hello Spike."

"Spike, what are you doing here?" Giles asked glaring.

"Recon the same thing you're doin here. Waitin on Buffy and the poof to arrive."

"How do you…." The door opened again and Buffy came in running with Angel under his blanket. He dropped to the ground and they both faced the family.

"Buffy" her mom said and came over to hug her. Buffy hugged back in delight seeing her mother ok.

"Mom. Your ok." Buffy said pulling out of the hug

"Of course I am. Rupert told me all about Liam and where you were." She looked to Angel. "I'm glad things are working out."

"They are mom."

"Hello Joyce" Angel said with a smile.

"Hello Angel. It's nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you too."

"Hey there peaches." Spike said. Both Buffy and Angel looked at him with similar distasteful expression.

"Spike, what are you doing here."

"I'm here waitin for the fam."

"Again the question." Buffy said through gritted teeth. "Why are you here?" The back door opened again and Liam came inside.

"You know" he started. "It's always nice to watch a sunrise."

"Wouldn't know" Spike said. "Hadn't seen one in over hundred years."

"Yeah well one of these days, I'm thinking of changing that."

"I'm thinking that day will be today." Angel said with a scowl.

"Hey, you can't do anythin to me peaches." Spike retorted. "Son says so."

"Right now the sun is shining and I don't think he will mind if I give you some color."

"He's talking about me dad." Liam said. Angel froze and Buffy looked at him with a surprised look. "Spike knows who I am."

"He does?" Buffy asked still surprised. "How?"

"Because I told him"

"Why?" Angel asked.

"Because if I didn't tell him, then at this moment, he would be making out with a mannequin version of Buffy."

"What?" Angel and Buffy said together. Liam sighed. He hated having to explain things to people.

"In the future, Spike fell in love with mom. His love for her drived him to help. Rather than it was the only thing to do. After some time, mom began to love him in return."

"I loved Spike!" Buffy yelled.

"Yeah. But you weren't in love with him. Your relationship with him never went to that level. You were always for dad." Buffy looked at Spike who smirked at her, then at Angel who was just as surprised as she was. "Spike will go on to love another woman who he will marry."

"Spike will get married?" Angel asked. Liam nodded. Angel than burst out laughing. Buffy and Giles smirked. Spike just looked annoyed. "Spike gets married. What, did Dru come back to him?"

"Actually no. and as it turns out, you will be his best man." This made Angel stop laughing.

"I'm his best man?"

"Yeah. You guys get along in the future. Practically brothers." Angel looked quizzical at him. "And mom here was the Maid of Honor. Buffy smiled.

"I'm going to be a Maid of Honor?" Liam nodded.

"So just to be clear." Giles began. "Buffy and Spike will not have a relationship."

"Correct" Liam responded. "Good thing I got to you guys before she started sleeping with him."

"WHAT?" Buffy and Angel screamed in unison. "I sleep with Spike?" Buffy asked shocked. Liam nodded again. Spike made a smirk that didn't go unnoticed by Angel, but he was to busy looking at Buffy who was making gagging noises like she was about to puke. "I….willingly…..sleep…..with Spike?" she spat at the last part.

"Yeah." She made a disgusted face.

"How? Why?"

"Because at the time, life kinda hit you hard. With Slaying, taking car of Dawn, the family, paying bills, getting a crappy job…..you turned to him as a stress reliever." This did not make Buffy feel better. "Just be glad it isn't going to happen now."

"Yeah" Spike interjected. "Now you get the poof to shag, I get a honey of my own, and we don't have to have any physical relationship at all." Buffy looked better after hearing that and hugged Liam, nearly crushing him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." She said as she literally crushed him. He screamed at the strength and Buffy let him go. "Sorry" He picked her up and crushed her just the same. She screamed to. He let her go and they both smiled. "Man you are strong." They both laughed. All of them had been making so much noise that they woke Dawn up without realizing it. She came into the kitchen wondering what the noise was about.

"Mom, what is going on down here? All of this noise wo…." She saw Angel in the kitchen and a smiled spread across her face. "Angel" she ran to him and hugged him tight.

"Hey Dawnie." Angel replied. She let go after a bit.

"What are you doing here? Did you here about Buffy's break up with Riley and are here to wisp her off her feet?" She asked with a smile. Angel smiled.

"Dawn" Buffy said. "That's none of your business." Dawn crossed her arms.

"I think we should tell her." Liam said.

"Tell me what?"

"Liam" Giles said. "Are you sure?"

"Tell me what?"

"I'm sure." Liam said. "Everyone else in the family knows. Why not her?"

"Tell me what?"

"Liam" Buffy warned. "She's a blabber."

"I am not. And tell me what?" she was getting impatient at this point."

"That Liam is the slayer and the poof's son form the day of tomorrow, here to fix it." Spike answered. Dawn looked stunned and confused.

"What?" Liam took off his glasses, walked to over to Dawn ad bent down so that he was at eye level with her.

"Dawn" he began. "I'm from the future. Buffy and Angel are my parents. I came back because my future has literally gone to hell. I came back to stop it and change a few things so that it's not only better for the world but for us in some ways." Dawn stood wide eyed at him. "Yeah. That's the reaction I get from everyone who finds out." Dawn looked to Buffy and Angel. They both nodded as did Joyce and Giles when she looked at them. She looked back at Liam.

"So….you're Buffy's and Angel's son." He nodded. "Which means I'm your aunt." He nodded again. "Which makes you my nephew." Again he nodded. "Oh…..ok" she started back out of the kitchen." I just gotta….go….change something's." She turned and ran back upstairs. Along the way Liam heard an 'oh my god' and an 'ew'. Spike started to laugh. Everyone turned to him with quizzical expressions.

"What so funny?" Angel demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" Spike said while laughing. "Nibblet had a crush on her nephew. She just found out who he really is and is upstairs changing her diary entries." Everyone realized this. Every time Liam came by and was in the room with Dawn, she would always greet him in the way that little girls greet their crushes. Liam started to laugh too.

"Liam its' not funny." Buffy pointed out. "This is serious."

"Its and little funny." He said through some laughs and kept on laughing. Angel started to chuckle and joined in on the laughing. Then Buffy started, as did Joyce and Giles. Pretty soon everyone in the kitchen was laughing.

…..

Once everyone had calmed down, Joyce made breakfasts for everyone. Dawn had come downstairs, and after having a few snickering looks from everyone, started talking to Liam, getting to know here nephew.

"So what's it like in the future?" Dawn asked excitedly. "Is it all techy and stuff?"

"Well" began. "Everyone has a flying car, food comes in little pills, and the entire world is run by DAMN DIRTY APES!" he yelled the last part. This got everyone to stop eating and looked at him in disbelief. "Gotcha didn't I?" he started to laugh at everyone's expression and everyone joined in. "NO. No. All I can really say about the future is that it's bad and I'm here to fix it."

"How?"

"Well there are a series of events that play a role in the apocalypse to come. All I got to do is affect some decisions and ensure a certain outcome and then the future can be saved."

"Wow. Sounds dangerous."

"Are you going to need help with any of these events?" Joyce asked concerned.

"With some of them yeah. All I need mom and dad to do is to be themselves in a fight unless I say differently."

"Are you going to tell us anything about these events some time before they occur?" asked Giles. He wasn't too happy that Liam didn't tell about the Angel until just before he was going to go down his dark path.

"Of course I will. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you guys about dad sooner but with grandma in the hospital, I escaped form my mind sometimes."

"It's alright Liam." Buffy defended her son. "Just make sure to give us some time before the next one." Liam nodded his head.

"When is the next one anyway?" Spike asked curiously.

"It's pretty much the birth of Connor. Change his conception date and who his mother is. We just deal with this demon woman we are facing and then mom dad do the deed and I get a brother." Everyone nodded.

"So, do you have any cousins in the future?" Dawn asked with a mouth full of eggs.

"Don't answer that." Buffy directed to Liam than looked back at Dawn. "Nice try"

"Yeah, I have cousins in the future." Liam answered her question. This brought him a look from his mother.

"Any of them my children?" Dawn asked hopefully. Buffy warned not to answer. But Liam gave Dawn a wink, hinting yes. She smiled. Liam rubbed his neck and groaned.

"You ok?" Angel asked.

"Yeah. But having a cowboy hit you with a hammer can really do a number on some of your joints."

I can help with that." Spike said coming up behind Liam and grabbing his neck. "I broke enough necks in my time, I think I can fix one."

"You stay away from my son." Angel growled.

"Dad" Liam shot his father a daring look. "If you start something with Spike right now, so help me god, I will ensure you don't have your moments with mom until they are suppose to happen in the near distant future." Angel gave Spike a look before stepping back. Spike returned to his nephew's neck.

"You might feel a little pressure here." Spike positioned his hands, one on Liam's neck, and the other on his head. He pushed both his hands inward, causing Liam's head to move in one direction and his neck in the opposite one. There was a loud crack and Liam screamed. Angel lunged at Spike and had him up against the wall by the throat. Liam started to laugh and everyone looked at him confused.

"Whoa." He chuckled. "What a ride." He rubbed his neck in satisfaction. "That diffidently did it." He got and faced Spike who Angel let go. "Thanks Uncle Spike."

"No problem."

"It's not fair." Buffy pouted. Everyone turned to her. "Liam fights Darla and Drusilla, then gets beat up by some cowboy with a hammer and gets a neck rub. I haven't fought anythignin two days. I wanna fight something."

"We can always have one of our sparring matches like we use too." Angel suggested. This brought a smile to Buffy's face.

"I like that idea. Lets do it."

"Whoa hold on." Liam said. "Angelus vs. The Slayer. That's a match I'd pay money to see."

"Well it looks like you can watch it for free nephew." Spike said.

"Count on it."

"Ooo, can I see it?" Dawn asked.

"Why not. It's like the match of the century."

"Is Buffy fighting Angel something people like watching?" Joyce asked Giles.

"Well Angel is one of the most feared vampire in history with superior fighting style and years of honed skills and Buffy is the slayer." He paused. "Yes I believe a lot of people would like to watch a fight such as this. Including myself." He said with a grin.

"Then I guess I'll go too. I've always wanted to see my daughter take on a vampire and not have the fear of immediate danger."

"Well you're in luck grandma. We get to have that today." Liam said.

"It's official then." Buffy said. "The fight between Angel and Buffy will be watched by an audience."

….

It was opening time at the Magic Box and the rest of the Scooby Gang entered the shop as Giles opened up the shop. Anya went to cash register almost instantly.

"Good morning boss." She said. "Ready to get to work."

"Oh. Good Anya." Giles deadpanned. The rest of the gang piled in.

"So Giles." Xander said first. "You hear anything from Buffy?"

"Yeah" Willow said. "It's already been a day since Riley left. I'm worried about her. I'm not sure what I would do if Tara left me."

"You know I would never do that baby." Tara assured her. Willow smiled.

"Well actually" Giles said. "She's in the back currently training."

"Oh. So she didn't leave us. Good" Xander said. "Better to get out any residual feelings by punchin a bag."

"Well she isn't punching a bag but she is punching something."

"Spike." Xander said hopefully.

"Well Spike is in there but she isn't fighting him." They heard cheering coming form the back room and a loud thud.

"What's going on in there?" Xander asked and headed for the door. The rest followed suit. When hey opened it, they found Joyce, Dawn, Spike, and Liam, all cheering as Buffy fought Angel in what looked like a well planned out dance. But they were fighting each other. Xander and Willow were surprised by the presence of Angel back in Sunnydale.

Angel dealt a few blows to Buffy. All of which she dodged without a sweat. He swiped her feet and she jumped before he could make contact. She tried to kick him and he grabbed her leg. He swung her and she landed a few feet away. Angel ran to her and she tried punching him. He grabbed her fist and turned her around facing the wall. He pushed up against it with her arm behind her back.

"What's the matter slayer? You' got sloppy since I left?" he said.

"In your dreams." She responded and pushed away form the wall and did a flip over his head. She kicked him up against the wall and held him the same way he did to her. "getting slow in your old age?"

"More years means more experience." Angel responded and broke out of the hold and faced her. Her dealt a few punches and kicks to her, sending her walking backwards. She caught to his plan and dodged another blow and swiped his feet. She straddled him and pretended to stake him.

"Staked"

"Right in the heart." They smiled. Everyone but Xander and Willow clapped. Buffy and Angels fight was something that everyone wanted to see. They both got up smiling.

"OK. Can someone explain to me what the hell's going on here?" Xander asked breaking up the cheering. "Why is dead boy back?" This made the room grow incredibly silent. Buffy nervous because she had to explain to her best friends why Angel and she were back together without revealing Liam's secret.

"Um" She began. "Guys….Angel's…back in town for a few weeks."

"Oh" Xander replied. "So he's not staying. Good." This brought him a growl from Angel.

"What?" Dawn said. "He's not staying? I though he was."

"He's staying for a few weeks." Buffy answered. "Then he's going to visit every other week." After a beat. "And I'm going to visit him."

"Why?" Xander asked.

"Because." This was it. "Angel and I are….back together."

"What!"

"Buffy." Willow said. "are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yeah. I mean Angel's ok and all but make him happy he starts killing people."

"Xander!" Buffy chastised.

"No Buffy. Listen, this isn't a good idea. Especially after Riley just left. Remember him. The guy who would do anything for you. The guy who you could do anything with and not have any consequences."

"Xander, Riley made me happy, yes. But Angel makes me even more happy. I want my life to be with him."

"Until you give him a happy again and he kills everyone. Remember Jenny." This brought pain to everyone who new Miss Calendar. Especially Giles. "Remember everything he did to you. Remember when he held Dawn and was about to kill her after your night together. He left because you couldn't work out. Why are you putting everyone at risk by going back to him?"

"Because we can be happy together without consequences. I have a spell that'll bound his soul so that Angelus can never come out a gain."

"How did you find that?" Willow asked curiously. Buffy hesitated before answering.

"Not important. All that's important is that I'm going to be with the am I love and be happy with him. You're my best friends. Can't you be happy for me."

"Of course Buffy. I'll always be happy with whatever makes you happy. Just as long as it doesn't lead to some of us getting killed."

"It won't Willow. The spell is legit. All I need is for you and Tara to cast it. I trust you guys more with it than anyone." Willow smiled a little at that.

"How do you know?" Xander asked. Buffy looked at him. "How do you know that the spell is even going to work?"

"Because I just know." she said forcefully. She didn't like that Xander was being hard to get along with. Xander turned to Giles.

"Giles, are you actually allowing this?" Giles cleaned his glasses and put them back on.

"Yes Xander I am. There is a light in Buffy's eyes that shines when she is with Angel. I haven't seen it since he left her." Angel and Buffy smiled at Giles's approval. Xander turned to Joyce.

"Mrs. Summers, your daughter is going to be sleeping with a vampire. Are you going to stand for it?" Joyce stood and looked to her daughter and her future son in law. She smiled then turned to look at Xander.

"All I care about is Buffy's happiness. If Angel makes her the happiest she can be, then I will allow it." Xander was in shock. Her own mother saying 'yes' to boinking a vampire. What was going on here. He turned to Willow.

"Will, you are the one who's going to do this spell that we don't know will work. It could take away his soul instead and then he'll kill you so that you can't perform the other spell. Are you rally going to risk that?" Willow looked conflicted. "Think of Miss Calendar. Think of you gold fish and all of our friends he's killed." Willow looked at Buffy and Angel and then back at Xander.

"I'm sorry Xander. I like Angel and if Buffy says that the spell is legit, then I believe her." Xander couldn't believe what he was hearing. Everyone seemed to be against him. He turned and his eyes landed on Liam.

"You"

"Me?" Liam said.

"Yeah." He started walking over to Liam. "Ever since you came to town, weird stuffs been happening. Demons kidnap Buffy's family and you're the one to save them. Some demon chick comes into town and Buffy survives because of you. This Pessy person arrives and you're the only one who knows about him. Now Riley leaves and Angel comes back." He stopped in front of him. "I think your messing with all of us in some way." He paused. "Are you responsible for this?"

"I have no control over Buffy and Angel falling in love." Liam responded.

"Bull"

"Xander that's enough." Buffy came over to defend her son. "He had nothing to do with me and Angel or anything for that matter." Xander just glared at her. "Angel and I are back together and it's going to stay that way. If you don't like then tough. It's just the way things are now." He shook his head in disbelief.

"I knew you were a lot of things Buffy. I didn't figure you to be stupid." He spat, turned and left leaving a hurt Buffy. Everyone not felt awkward.

"Will" Buffy said registering to her best friend. "When I give you the spell, how long will it take before you can cast it?"

"Well I'll have to look at it first." Willow answered. "But I might be able to do it by the end of the day." Buffy went to her bag and pulled out the CD with the spell on it and handed it to Willow.

"Do what you can." Willow nodded.

…..

Later at night, the gang, minus Xander and Anya, had formed up at the mansion where Angel would be staying. Willow and Tara knew how to do the spell and gathered everyone to tell them about it.

"Ok." Willow began. "The spell is pretty straight forward. It was a little complicated, but I'm sure Tara and I can do it." Willow said with a smile.

"If you are sure you can bind his soul," Giles spoke up. "Why are the rest of here to hear this?"

"Ah." Willow said, her smile faded. "Well, I'm going to need your help. All of your helps actually."

"Willow what is it?" Angel asked.

"Well….Um…." Willow glanced at Angel. "There's a catch to the spell." Angel glanced over at Laim who shrugged.

"I knew there'd be a catch." Angel said under his breath. "What's the catch?"

"It's just while doing the spell. But to put this spell on you….we have to remove the old ones first."

"You mean bring Angelus out?" Buffy asked worriedly.

"Yeah." Willow answered.

"NO." Angel said immediately. "No. Absolutely not."

Angel!" Buffy cried.

"No, Buffy, I won't do it! Never. Out of the question." Buffy pulled Angel into the kitchen so they could have a private chat.

"Come on Angel, I'm sure it would just be for a few minutes."

"Five minutes actually." Liam said coming in. he managed to slip away form the group with out them knowing.

"You knew about this didn't you?" angel accused him.

"Of course. Dad it's the only way. If I could find another spell that would bind your soul with bringing Angelus, then I would have it with me now. But I don't. And like I said, it'll only be for five minutes."

"You don't know what Angelus can do in five minutes." Angel said darkly.

"Actually I do. More than you know." this caught Angel off guard. "I was tortured by Angelus when I was 15. he did things to me that I still have some nightmares about. I know what he can do in five minutes. But its been a while since I last saw him and he doesn't know what I can do in two."

"Five minutes with Angelus and then we never have to see him again." Buffy said.

"I'm not putting you in that kind of danger." Angel shouted angrily.

"Don't you think we can handle it?" Buffy shouted back, starting to get angry herself. "We'll lock you min a cage, chain you up, and stand around the cage with weapons, before they even start removing the curse. Nothing bad will happen."

"You don't know that."

"I do." Liam responded. "If anything bad is going to happen, it'll be by me to Angelus. Trust me dad, this is Angelus's last day on earth." Angel looked conflicted. "I know he scares you dad. He scares us all. But we have shot to get rid of him. If we don't take it, then there is s chance for Angelus to come out everyday of ours lives. And you don't do this, then Connor, Kathy, and myself won't be born." Angel looked up. The thought of not having his kids hurt him. His soul was bound in the future. He must have relented and Willow casted the spell. Angel nodded his head. Buffy and Liam smiled.

…..

"We're going to need chains and weapons" Angel said coming back into the room. "There's a cell in the basement we can use, and I think I might have some chains."

"Tara and I can work in the living room." Willows aid. "We can't be distracted."

"Best that there be some people guarding you just in case." Liam said. "Don't start the spell until we have confirmation that Angel in bound down." Willow nodded. The door opened and Xander and Anya walked in. He didn't look like he wanted to be there. Everyone turned to him. He looked at Buffy.

"I'm sorry Buffy." He said after a beat. "I just really don't like him." He glared at Angel for a minute then back at Buffy. "But I trust you." Buffy smiled. "How can I help?"

"Thank you." She said. "Guard Willow and Tara while they perform the spells." Buffy said. "There's a small chance that Angelus might break free."

"Told you this was a bad idea." Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Giles and Anya will help you. Spike, Liam and, I will be in the basement with Angel." She looked to Angel and held his hand and smiled.

"Let's go to work." Angel said his catchphrase.

…..

An hour later, Buffy and Spike had Angel chained up to the wall of a cell in the basement. Liam was inspecting the cage, making sure that the bars won't give if Angelus got loose.

"There" Buffy said. "That should hold you." Spike walked out of the cage but Buffy stayed behind for a minute. She bent down to Angel and touched his cheek. "Everything will be fine." She whispered and kissed him. He kissed back.

"Don't listen to anything he says" Angel said when they parted. "He lies with the truth, don't let him trick you."

"I won't." Buffy promised. "I love you."

"I love you." Buffy turned and walked out of the cage. "Tell the girls we're ready." She said the Spike and he went upstairs. Buffy and Liam waited for a minute.

"Something's wrong." Liam said. Angel looked a little scared. "I read that spell over, it shouldn't take this long to take away his soul." Buffy looked worried. "Go upstairs and see what's keeping them." Buffy nodded and headed upstairs. Liam looked back at his father and took off his coat. He threw it down ns took the keys and unlocked the cage.

"What are you doing?" Angel asked. Liam entered and locked the cage behind him. He went over to Angel and unlocked his cuffs. "Wait I need those."

"No you won't." Liam said. "Not for this." He looked at Angel who looked at him in horror. What was his son doing? Or was it his son at all. All of the sudden Angel screamed. He felt the intense pain in his chest when his soul was taken from him years ago. The pain stopped and Angel looked at Liam. "Hey dad." Liam said. Angelus smiled and started to laugh.

**I know that this is a major cliffhanger and I promised that there would be a flashback, but it got too long so I had to cut it. Surprised? I'm not. I know what's going to happen. Calm down, Liam isn't evil. He just has an alternative plan. Stay tune for the next update.**


	15. Two Graves Dug

Chapter 15: Two Graves Dug

**I know some people think I'm evil for what I did at the end of last chapter, but this one should clear everything up. Yes Xander is being a B*****, but that's just how he is. I have planned that he'll get better. But let's get back Liam and Angelus. Enjoy.**

Buffy went into the living room where Spike was coming out from.

"Hey." He said. "Why aren't you downstairs with little AJ?"

"He said that the spell was taking too long and told me to come up here to see what's going on." She replied.

"Really? Cause Willow literally just finished it and she's startin the other spell as we speak." Buffy looked confused. Why had Liam sent her up when Willow hadn't finished. She heard a scream and a loud thud coming from the basement. She turned around. "You hear that?" Spike asked.

"Yeah." They both ran.

…..

"Hey there son." Angelus said smiling. He got up.

"Good to have you back." Liam said while he patted his 'fathers' arm.

"You had everyone fooled." Angelus said. "Even me. I thought that you might beat me to death for torturing you in the future."

"Well what can I say? The world's best actor taught me." They both laughed evilly. "I had to tell 'mom' that so she could feel sorry for me."

"Buff usually was the gullible type when it came to people she thought she could trust most."

"Tell me about it."

"Actually I want you to tell me…" he grabbed Liam by the throat. "How you think I am that gullible." Liam started to laugh. Angelus looked confused.

"I didn't think you were gullible." Liam gasped. "But if you kill me, you'll be right back where you started." Angelus held for a minute then let Liam go. Liam coughed. "I'm here for a reason dad. If you kill me now, soulboy's back and you won't be free for a long time." Angelus pondered this.

"Ok. You bought yourself so time. But if this is some trick…"

"Smell me, dad. Sense me. Can't you sense the demon inside me?" Angelus could smell it. His demon was out and he could smell it. He also could smell the human in him.

"You know there's human in you. I can smell that too."

"And when time comes, I'll fix that. But until then, let's deal with what we got." Angelus nodded in agreement.

"So the future isn't in peril is it?" Liam just shrugged. "So you came back so that you can bring together your family and we can raid, pillage, and plunder like any normal family." Liam chuckled. So did Angelus. "But I think I see a flaw in your plan. If I'm out now, how are you to be conceived in Buff if I only have one life and that's you older brother?"

"I'm not to be conceived until 2007. We got plenty of time come up with some plan."

"That we do." Angelus grabbed Liam around the shoulder bringing him in. "So son, what's the plan?" Liam smiled and then punched Angelus full force, knocking him into the wall. He grabbed him and pushed him against it. Similar to how Buffy had Angel in their spar match.

"Payback." Liam sneered and threw Angelus against the bars of the cage. He went over and started beating Angelus over and over. He pulled out his axe and knife. Angelus was disoriented from the beating.

"I knew you weren't all that evil." He said getting up.

"I'm more evil than you know." Liam plunged his axe into Angelus's shoulder, causing him to scream in pain. Liam took his knife and repeatedly stabbed Angelus in the abdomen. He dropped the knife and turned Angelus around, pinning him to the bars of the cage. "You believe in an 'eye for an eye' hunh?" Liam yelled through gritted teeth. Liam threw Angelus again against the opposite wall and started to beat him again. Angelus caught a fist and threw Liam off of him.

"And here I thought I didn't have an influence on you." Angelus said getting up.

"A small influence." Liam responded, but enough. He ran towards Angelus with lightning fast speed and rammed him into the wall. Angelus grabbed Liam and turned him around so that he was pinned to the wall.

"Don't like it when the shoes' on the other foot." Angelus sneered. Liam spat in his face and kicked him in the groin. Angelus crumpled to the floor. He took out the axe from Angelus's shoulder and used it to chop some wounds into him, making him yell with each thrust. Liam stopped and through the axe away. "Is the way you treat your own father?" Angelus snickered. Liam had enough. He bent down and started beating Angelus again. Buffy and Spike came into the basement and saw Liam attacking Angelus.

"Liam what are you doing?" Buffy asked in horror seeing her lover's body all beaten and bloody.

"You're not my father." He said as he punched him. "You're not my father." punch. "YOU'RE NOT MY FATHER." He yelled the last part and continued to punch. Buffy picked up the keys from the outside of the cage and tried tohurry to open them up. Liam kept punching Angelus with anger. All the years, waiting for Angelus to emerge to exact his revenge, was pouring out into each punch thrown. Angelus gasped and light filled his eyes as his soul returned. Liam noticed this and hesitated. Buffy saw this too. Angel was back. Almost immediately, Liam kept punching Angel. Buffy managed to unlock the cage and ran in to stop her son.

"Liam, he's gone." Buffy yelled while stopping him from punching anymore. "Your father's back. He's gone." Liam stopped punching and got up, staring at his father who had returned. Liam turned and scooped up his jacket and weapons and left the cell. Buffy returned to her lover who was regaining consciousness.

"Angel." She whispered.

"Buffy." He said. She saw him. In his chocolate brown eyes, she could see her lover was there. She smiled and kissed him.

….

The Scoobies were getting ready to leave. They all saw how beat up Angel was and though that he might have got out and Buffy beat him up. Xander wished that he was there to see it happen. They patched up Angel and gave him some blood for rapid healing.

"Willow, Tara." Buffy stopped her best friend and girlfriend. "Thank you guys so much."

"It was nothing Buffy," Willow said. "You and Angel deserve some happiness." She had a slight grin. Giles went up to Angel who was holding an ice pack to his face and drinking his second cup of blood.

"So what exactly happened?" he asked the vampire.

"I don't know. Liam unlocked the cage and my chains and when Angelus emerged, he started to beat him up. He said that Angelus tortured him in the future, so I'm guessing that it was payback."

"Reasonable." Giles smirked a little. He too wanted to beat up the demon that had tortured him so long ago. "What are you going to do about Liam?"

"I'm going to go talk to him. Father to son." Angel responded and handed the ice pack and cup to Giles. "If Buffy asks, tell her where I've gone but don't follow." Angel left the mansion without telling Buffy. He needed to talk to his son alone. Buffy told him about Liam staying at his old apartment, so Angel headed there.

…..

Liam had returned to his apartment and immediately put on _Sleepsong_. This song always calmed him after bad day. Today wasn't really bad, but he saw the demon that had brought his whole family hell from one time to another. He wished that he had more time with him. Just so that he could dealt all the pain that Angelus had inflicted upon innocent people back onto him. He sat on his bed while the song played. After it finished he played it again. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Liam said. He would usually ask who it was, but he had a feeling who it was going to be. He was surprised when it turned out to be his father who came in. "Hey."

"Hey." Angel responded and closed the door. "I think we should talk."

"What is there to talk about? Angelus tortured me, I got payback. End of story."

"Yeah, but it seemed like there's more to it." Angel came over and sat beside Liam. "Liam, you're my son. I know when there's more that's bothering you then what you tell."

"You've only known that I was you son for 24 hours."

"Maybe, but a lot can happen in that time." Liam bowed his head. "Tell me what's wrong." Liam lifted his head and sighed.

"I was 15 when I first met Angelus. Drusilla got a demon shaman to take your soul away. Before Willow casted the spell to put your soul back, Angelus kidnapped me and Kathy and tortured us so that we could be his children instead of yours. He failed, but not before he brought out our inner demons somewhat." He paused. "The rest was brought out by you." Angel was stunned. He would actually willingly bring out his children demons?

"How? Why?"

"Your death is the answer to both of those questions." Angle just stared. "It was a few months later. On our sixteenth birthday. Usually an age to party and have fun. Not for us."

….

**Night Time**

**Summers home, Los Angles**

**February 3, 2024**

Sixteen candles on two different colored cakes were blown out at the same time. Everyone started to clap. Liam and Kathy were celebrating their sixteenth birthdays.

"Ok. Now presents." Kathy said excitedly. "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme."

"What's the magic word?" Angel playfully sang.

"Now or die?" Liam teased.

"Please." Kathy corrected. Angle smiled. His two kids were growing up, looking more like their parents every day. He hoped that Buffy was watching, seeing her kids all grown up now.

"Here." Connor, their 'way' older brother gave them each a present. They tore off the wrapping paper and he sat in awe at the new IPhones that they had just received.

"Awesome. " Liam said. "Thanks."

"Thank you" Kathy said and hugged her older brother. He hugged back with a smile.

"OK my turn." Dawn came over and gave each of them a gift. They tore off the paper and looked at the books that Dawn had given them.

"Books?" Liam asked.

"Journals, for every one of your adventures. They're from your Uncle Xander and myself." Dawn responded.

"Yeah." Xander began. "Sorry for them though. It was a little last minute deal."

"Hey I kept reminding you dad." Said Collin. He looked a lot like his father. He always wore jeans and had a ball cap on everywhere he went. "Here's mine." He handed them a small present. They opened it and it was the new Call of Duty for their Xbox that they shared.

"Awesome" Liam said again. "Thanks."

"I never get tired of Call of Duty." Kathy said.

"Well I wanted to get you guys something that would top my dad's idea." Collin explained.

"It's ok" Liam said.

"Unless dad lets us go out on patrols, our journals are going to be really short accounts." Kathy said.

"When you're 18." Angel said.

"My turn." Gunn came over with a big gift for the both of them. They tore of the paper together and opened a box that held two small axes and matching knives on a belt system.

"Now this is what I'm talking about." Liam exclaimed in satisfaction. Angel gave Gunn a look.

"What?" He said. "For when they actually do go on patrol and they have something to practice with until then." Angel rolled his eyes.

"Our turn." Willow sang. She and her daughter 'Danni' came over with a gift for the booth of them. They opened it up to reveal magic spell books for beginners.

"We figured since mom started learning magic at around sixteen, you guys should too." Said Danni. Danni was about two years younger than the twins. She had red hair like her mother and too wore jeans, but they were usually tight and she always wore a tank top. Her mother wanted her to be noticed by the boys since she was an outcast in high school. Plus Danni felt comfortable in these clothes.

"Thank you." Kathy hugged Danni. Even being considered cousins, they were closer than sisters.

"Now for us." Spike said coming over with his son Bill. Bill was about four years younger than the twins but Liam considered him his best friend out of all. Kathy and Liam opened up the box they gave, to reveal a picture of the original Scooby Gang and AI team after Angel got back together with their mother. They saw everyone there. Their mother and father hugging each other. Willow, Xander, Dawn, Gunn, Spike, Faith, Connor, and some other people who were there at the time. The twins smiled at their favorite uncle. They hugged him without even saying a thank you. They poured it all into that hug. Liam pulled away and hugged Bill. It was a really great gift.

"Now for the father." Angel said and pulled out a big box for Liam and a little box for Kathy. They each took their respective boxes and opened them. Kathy opened up her box to reveal the cross necklace that once belonged to her mother. She had loved the necklace since she was child and always wanted to have it in memory of her mother since she looked so much like her. She rushed over to her father and hugged him tight. He hugged back with a smile. Liam opened his gift and it was his father's overcoat that he usually wore. Liam cheered in delight. He always wanted to dress like his father because he was just that cool to Liam. He put it on in a second and posed. Everyone laughed and cheered at the spitting image of Angel before them. Liam hugged his father.

"Ok smile." Willow said as she held up a camera. The family got together in the picture. Liam on one side of his father in his coat, Kathy on the other wearing the necklace. They all smiled as Willow took the picture. After the picture was taken, they all heard glass break and an arrow hit Angel in the heart. They all stood in shock. Angel looked down at the arrow, then back up at his family. A second later, he turned to dust.

"Daddy!" Kathy screamed.

"It came from outside." Connor said looking through the broken window into the night. "I see the person. I'm going after them." he said angrily.

"Wait for us." Gunn said. He, Xander, Spike, and Connor all grabbed weapons and headed out. Dawn held Kathy as she cried for her father. Willow held Liam who was just staring at the pile of dust that was his father. Danni had tears in her eyes and held Bill as he cried. Collin was stunned at the sight and just stood. Dawn had tears falling form her eyes hearing her niece's cries. Willow had tears forming but they didn't fall. They waited for the rest of the gang to come back. It had been half an hour and still no reply. Kathy had calmed down so what but she was still crying. Liam hadn't shed a single tear since that party went south. All he felt was anger and hate for the man or men responsible. Gunn and Xander came back looking pale. Everyone gathered around them wanting to know what happened.

"What happened?" Liam demanded. They said nothing. "Where's Spike?"

"Where's Connor?" Kathy asked standing next to her brother. Gunn and Xander looked to the floor and the back up at them.

"Dammit guys what happened?" Liam was getting angry.

"We followed Connor, chasing after the man who did this." Xander finally said.

"Must have gone about three blocks before…" Gunn trailed off.

"Before what?" Liam demanded.

"There was a gunshot." Gunn said. This made everyone stare wide eyed at the two.

"Sniper" Xander clarified. "Headshot. Spike is with the police now."

"You mean…"Kathy said through newly fresh tears. "Connor…" They nodded their heads. She immediately broke down. He fell to the floor with Dawn holding her. Both were crying their hearts out. Collin walked to his father and hugged him as he sobbed. Danni leaned into her mother as she cried too. Liam just stood, staring as Bill walked up to him and hugged him. He hugged back by habit. Today was supposed to be a great day for him and his sister. Instead, their worlds fell apart with the death of their father and brother. They were orphans now. Not adults yet, and they were orphans. Things couldn't get much worse in Liam's world.

….

**Present day**

**Sunnydale, California**

**Liam's apartment**

"But they did later on." Liam said, just finishing the story. Angel sat in shock. "After the funerals, Kathy and I trained with Spike and Dawn and Xander and Gunn and Willow. Learning everything we could so that we could fight these bastards that took you and mom and Connor way from us." They sat there in silence not talking. Angel absorbed everything that happened. Buffy had told him about how Liam told her how she died and why Liam was so distant from her. Now he understands that Liam was tortured by Angelus and that he died just a few months later. Liam was probably so traumatized.

"I'm sorry." Angel said finally.

"It's not your fault." Liam said. "For a while I hated you because I heard about how you could catch a bolt with your hands. You were probably too distracted by your own kids to even concentrate on the bolt." After a beat. "Ironic. Mom died the same way. Being distracted by her own kids."

"Hey." Angel said getting his son's attention. "Don't go around blaming yourself for our deaths. You had no direct or indirect part in it." Liam nodded his head. While he did believe on a level, he still blamed himself on another. "Who were the guys that killed us anyway?" Angel asked curiously. Liam pulled out a coin from his pocket and handed it to his father. Angel looked at the coin. It was a gold coin with a black crow on it and the letter HW on the crow. "HW. Wolfram and Hart." Liam nodded again.

"Wolfram and Hart was practically destroyed in the future. But there were still remnants so that they could rebuild. They had a plan going for about thirty years. Take out you and mom and Connor and some of the Scooby Gang to make way for the apocalypse. They created 'The Crows' to take out any and all opposition. They're good. Real good. We'd be lucky if we got out of a fight with them alive."

"But your mother told me how you were able to stop twenty or thirty of them before."

"Because they didn't plan on me attacking them the way I did. Plus they have reserves like everywhere ready to come in on any notice. But they didn't here. The need them more in the future to ensure that the apocalypse sticks." Liam looked back at the floor.

"There's no way to stop them." Angel said after a beat

"There can be if I finish my work here. And I have yours and mom's help in it."

"I hope your plan is to kill them." Angel said darkly. "Cause that's my plan."

"It's my plan too. But you're not going to be a part of it until I say so." Angle looked at his son. "Dad, one of the things that I was told in the future is that when Kathy and I were born, you killed anyone and anything that threatened us. Humans and demons. Some of the gang got scared because they thought you were going to be Angelus. How you acted in the future is exactly what your team wanted to pull you away from. You can't fight evil with evil. Otherwise you'll just end up with evil. You have to stay good to beat evil back. Don't think that your soul being bound, gives you an excuse to do whatever you want. I can do a lot of things, doesn't mean I should do them. You shouldn't either. After mom died you reverted back to the Angel that everyone knew and loved. He was my father." Liam put a hand on his father's shoulder. "You are my father. Stay my father." They both smiled and then enveloped each other in a hug.

"I promise I'll stay who I am." Angel promised.

"Thank you dad." Liam said back. They pulled away after a minute and looked at each other. From someone's point of view, they looked like twins. But it was really father and son.

"So how did you fool Angelus with the demon sense anyway?"

"Like I said dad, the demon's there. Angelus brought some of it, you brought out the rest. I just learned to control it in the future."

"Oh. Ok. That could come in handy."

"Like it hasn't already." They both laughed. Then Angel then looked quizzical. "What is it dad?"

"Spike has a son?" Angel asked. Liam nodded. Angel burst out laughing more. Liam rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Who would breed with Spike, let alone marry him?" he kept laughing.

"Someone who found love like you did." Angel stopped laughing but had a smirk. Liam looked serious. "I'm not saying who they are, but if it wasn't for them dad, I wouldn't be the man I am today." Angel stopped smirking and looked at his son. "Spike and my aunt saved me from being exactly how you were when you went down your dark path. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have saved so many people, following in your footsteps." Angel was surprised by how Spike had such an influence on his son in the future. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate it if you would stop berating Spike. He is actually a good guy when you take the time to know him. I'd also appreciate it if you would take the time to do just that." Liam looked at his father sternly. Angel was not only surprised at how Spike influenced his son into this man before him, but also how his son defended him like he was family. On a level, he was family, and Angel made him that. It probably wouldn't kill Angel to try and get along with Spike. Or it probably would. But if Liam said that they get along in the future and Spike took care of Liam after his death, then Spike had to be an ok guy.

"Alright. I'll try." Angel relented. "What I can't figure out is how Spike has a son."

"Dad, do I need to give you the birds and the bees?" Liam joked.

"No. I mean I get you and Connor and Kathy through outside forces. Does that happen to Spike?"

"I'm not saying anything. All I'm asking is that you get along with him."

"Ok." Angel smiled at his son and Liam smiled back. His son has really come along in the future. And Angel wants to see it all happen. He looked around the tiny apartment that they were in. "You know, this place is kinda small."

"Yeah. It's everything I need really. I don't really do big stuff. Too much room and I don't do a lot."

"Oh….So you wouldn't want to move into the mansion with me." Angel felt a little disappointed.

"Well…if asked I would."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean I prefer this place, but I'll move in if you really want me too."

"That would be great."

"Ok" Liam patted his fathers back and Angel winced in pain. "Sorry"

"It's ok. Come on. Let's get back before your mother starts freaking out."

…

Liam and Angel arrived back at the mansion where Buffy was pacing, waiting impatiently for them. When they entered she looked sternly at the both of them.

"Well I hope you guys have explanations for the way you both acted." She said to the both of them. They stood there, looking confused. "Why did Liam attack his father? Why did he leave immediately afterwards? Why did Angel leave and not tell me?" she was getting angry. The men looked at each other before looking back at the angry woman standing before them.

"Cliff notes" Liam said. "I hate Angelus."

"Angelus tortured him. "Angel added.

"I wanted payback."

"He got payback."

"Left to cool my head."

"Went after him."

"We talked."

"We hugged."

"We're good." Buffy just stared at the two.

"Ok." She finally said. She seemed to calm down after that but still looked upset at the both of them. She looked to Angel. "Angel how are you feeling?"

"Fine." He answered. My wounds are healing fast. So I should be good by tomorrow. Or maybe later tonight if I have more cup of blood."

"Sorry about that." Liam said again.

"It's ok. You did it to Angelus so that makes me smile." Angel laughed. As did Buffy and Liam. "Also I don't hear him in my head anymore." He paused and smiled again. "It's kinda nice to have some peace for once."

"That's why I came back." Liam said. They all looked happy. "So what's on the agenda for tonight?" Buffy looked down and shifted her feet. Angel did the same. Since Angel's soul was bound and they don't have to worry about a curse, they both wanted the same thing. Liam noticed this. "Ok, I get it. "Liam turned to leave. "If you need me, I'll be somewhere else." He turned back to them. "Try not to need me."

"Oh we won't" Buffy said with a grin. Angel grinned turn.

"Ok, ew." Liam said. "I can't believe I'm asking this but, do you guys have protection?" Buffy held up a box of condoms that she got before coming over to bind Angel's soul. "That makes you in charge of teaching him. I'm outta here." He turned and left. Angel looked at Buffy and Buffy looked back. Both of them had lust in their eyes. Angel came forward and kissed Buffy and picked her up. He winced a little through his injuries but they were minor now after some rest. Buffy kissed back and wrapped her arms and legs around Angel. They didn't stop until the got to the bedroom. Then they started again when they were nude. Even with a few wounds, it was perfect happiness for the both of them, many times that night.

…..

Angel woke next morning with a warmth in his arms. He opened his eyes to find Buffy sleeping soundly. Last night was the best night he ever had. He was with the woman that he loved, he was going to have two sons and a daughter, and he didn't have to worry about some stupid curse. He felt perfect happiness finally since his night with Buffy on her birthday few years ago. And nothing was going to tear it away from him. He had his son to make sure of it and he and his 'girlfriend' were going to help. They were a family. They were together.

**So here's the end of the chapter. Angel's soul is bound and he is happy. Now, for next chapter, I can either go back to the canon, or I could make another non-canon chapter about Angels and Buffy's first date with Liam influence. I can do either one. But I wanna know what you guys might want. Review and Comment. I love what you guys are saying about this story. Stay tuned."**


	16. Triangle

Chapter 16: Triangle

**OK. Now I said that I would do a date thing for Buffy and Angel, but I wanted to on with the story and the canon because I got great ideas for later. I may still do one if you guys really want me too. Until then, Enjoy.**

Buffy woke up with a smile on her face. She thought that she had one of the most fantastic dreams of her life last night. Until she felt two arms wrapped around her. She turned and saw Angel starring back at her. Last night was a dream, but it was a living dream.

"Morning" Angel said.

"Hmm. Morning" Buffy said back. She cuddled up more into his arms, not wanting to get out of bed. "Can we stay like this forever?"

"Maybe, but if we want to have anymore of last night, we'll have to go out and get more of those rubber things."

"Condoms" Buffy giggled. Even after the short lesson last night, Angel still can't get the concept of a condom.

"Right, those." He sighed. "I wish our son didn't force us to use them."

"Yeah." Buffy groaned. "Which reminds me that I have to fight some demon chick, protect Dawn, and help our son save the future." She sighed a heavy sigh. "I don't want to get out of bed."

"I don't either, but we have to if we want that future that our son says we have. Maybe sometime down the road we can stay in bed all day."

"I'd like that." She turned over to face him. They both looked at each other lovingly. "But you're right, we have to get out of bed. I probably have to face the gang and tell them that you are still you."

"Yeah." He ran his knuckles across her cheek, putting some hair behind her ear. "If you want, I can make breakfast for you."

"I'd love that." Angel got out of bed and pulled on some pants, much to Buffy's displeasure. He went down to the kitchen and looked through the refrigerator, only to find it completely empty, except for a few bags of blood. He sighed knowing he can't make breakfast, or go out to buy some. Buffy came down in Angels shirt. "So what's for breakfast?" she asked cheerfully.

"You're in luck. We got a bag of blood for me, bag of blood for you, and one we can share." Angel joked. Buffy's cheeriness vanished.

"Oh. Guess I gotta leave sooner hunh?"

"Yeah. Guess you do." Buffy turned to Angel.

"Hey I got an idea. Why don't you move in with me at my house." Angel looked her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Mom's still healing, Dawn needs protecting, and we have actual food at my house that you can use to cook with."

"Your mom won't mind?"

"Of course she won't. Besides, she knows that we have a future together that leads to a few of her grandchildren anyway." He smiled and nodded.

"OK. But ask your mother first."

"Deal." She kissed him. Buffy got dress in her clothes from last night, much to her extreme displeasure. She liked the way she fit into Angel shirts and just wear them. She loved the way they smelled, the way they kept her warm, even it was the only thing she wore. She wished she could have stayed longer, but the angry growl her stomach gave, made her change her mind.

…

Buffy arrived at her house shortly after leaving Angels and made her way to the kitchen where she found her mother and sister already eating breakfast.

"Hello Buffy." Joyce greeted her daughter. "Where have you been all night?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Buffy blushed.

"Out having a night out in the town….or bed maybe?" Dawn asked with a grin. Buffy got even redder.

"None of either of your business and you're not supposed to know that stuff." She directed to her sister. Dawn just smiled and kept eating.

"So I assume that Angel is still…" Joyce began.

"Yes. Soulful and all." Buffy smiled. "My family is back and better than ever. Everything is turning out perfect."

"Oh, that's good." Joyce bowed her head and has a guilty look on her face.

"Mom, what is it?" Joyce looked back up at Dawn.

"Dawn, why don't you go brush your teeth. Buffy and I need to talk alone." Dawn nodded and brushed past Buffy on her way upstairs.

"What is it?" Buffy asked again.

"It's just that…." Joyce began. "Oh um….remember when you and Angel were happy together before he left?" Buffy nodded. "And then he decided to leave you all of the sudden." Buffy nodded again, not really sure why her mother was bringing back painful memories. "It's just…"

"Mom spit it out." Joyce sighed then looked at her daughter.

"I…I told Angel to leave you." This struck Buffy hard. "I knew that he loved you and that you loved him, I just wanted what was best for you. I wanted you to have a normal life. I wanted you to have a relationship that you had with Riley. But I now know that you will be most happy with Angel and you will have a family. It was wrong for me to do what I did, I know that now." She walked up to Buffy and placed her hands on her arms. "I just want what's best for you. And now I know that you know what's best for you. There is living proof of it." She paused. "I'm so sorry Buffy. Please don't be angry." Buffy just stood there. Contemplating everything her mother told her. She made Angel leave. She was the one that put all of the that shit about 'not giving her want she deserves' in Angel head. She was going to lash out at her mother, but she remembered something that someone she loved told her.

"_The relationship was good for. For the both of you. It made you both grow more as people. When you two got back together, you loved each other even more." _

Her son's words bounced around her head. While she was angry with her mother, she did see that it had to happen if she wanted the future that Buffy will have. It had to happen so that Angel could be champion for the powers and save souls in LA. She looked back at her mother who had on a worried look.

"I am mad at you mom." Buffy said. Joyce closed her eyes and bowed her head, knowing that that was what Buffy was going to say. "But I forgive you." Joyce looked up surprised. "What you did, it made my life miserable for a while after he left. But I know for a fact that it had to happen for me to grow more as a person and for Angel to seek his path to redemption and save souls in LA." She paused. "Besides, everything works out in the end anyway right? I have the man of my dreams, I have children and you have grandchildren." Joyce smiled.

"Yes, I guess everything does work out in the end. But I still feel guilty for what I did."

"I said I forgive you. I'm still angry and it's going some time before I can look past this. Just promise me that you won't do something like this again."

"I promise." Joyce hugged her daughter. "I'm just so worried about you. I want what's best for you."

"I know. I feel the same for my son too." She said hugging back. "And speaking of family…" she pulled out of the hug and looked at her mother. "Mom, would be ok with you if Angel moved in with us? He's a really great cook. Not that you aren't. It's just, with everything going on, I don't want to leave you and Dawn and I want to be with Angel." Joyce looked at her daughter and smiled.

"Yes, it will be alright with me. But what about Liam?"

"He has an apartment. Plus I don't think he will like taking the couch unless Dawn gives up part of her room." Joyce smiled.

"I just asked. And Angel is more than welcome to stay with us. After all, he is family." Buffy smiled. They hugged again while Dawn came downstairs and saw the love fest.

"Whoa. Must have been some talk." Dawn said. Buffy and Joyce parted so that they could pull Dawn in too. "What's with the love fest?"

"I'm just so happy today." Joyce said hugging both her girls. "I'm happy that I know that you too will be ok in the future and that you'll both live happy lives."

"You can thank my son for that." Buffy said. The front door opened and closed.

"Hey, anyone home?" came Liam's voice. "Special delivery for two beautiful summers woman and Buffy."

"In here honey" Buffy called back. Liam came into the kitchen as the summers girls departed. "And what is with that comment about two beautiful summers women and me?" Buffy crossed her arms and looked at her son with a stern look.

"You belong in a more special category." Liam replied to his mother with a grin.

"Sure" Buffy knew that he was just getting points with his grandmother and aunt. He hugged and kissed his mother. Ok so he got points form his mother too.

"Hey guys." Liam said to the rest of the family.

"Hello Liam." Joyce said giving her grandson a hug. "How are you?"

"Better than I've felt in a long time."

"Whys that?" Dawn asked hugging her nephew.

"Because last night, I got my parents together, bonded with my father, and kicked his demons ass. Last night I slept like a baby. Do you happen to have any coffee?"

"Oh I just made some." Joyce said.

"Good, I love your coffee grandma." Liam said smiling.

"Thank you Liam." Joyce responded. Liam poured himself a cup and took a sip and smiled.

"Now that I had some descent coffee, and I can't believe I'm asking this," he turned to Buffy with a sigh "How was last night with dad?" Buffy got even redder than before. "I'm guessing from the look that he isn't the demon." Buffy nodded. "Now that we avoided that bit of unhappiness for me, I can enjoy my coffee." He took another sip. Buffy suddenly got an idea for payback on Liam's comment earlier.

"Yeah. Your father's still himself and…Uh oh!" Buffy said with a look off shock and surprise.

"What is it?" Liam asked as Buffy felt her backside. She looked at her son.

"I left my underwear in his bed." Buffy said. Luckily Liam wasn't drinking coffee when she said this.

"Mother!" he yelled in shock.

"I'm kidding." Buffy said laughing. She also got a laugh from her mother and her sister. Liam sighed in relief.

"Good god. I've already been scarred for life, many times over. I don't need to add that to the list." He said back to her and started sipping his coffee. Perfect timing.

"I left it in the dining room." Liam choked on his coffee and it went down his front. He grunted in pain because the coffee was still hot. This brought more laughs from the girls.

"I'm not listening to this." Liam said and left the kitchen.

"On the dining room table" Buffy said.

"Can't hear you" Liam called back. All the girls laughed. This was so funny, Joyce though she could use it to torture Buffy sometime.

…

Buffy and Giles were in the exercise room of the Magic Box. Giles had padded mitts on his hands and Buffy was training, hitting Giles in sequence. Angel was watching from the couch.

"All right. Switch. Left lead." Giles instructed. Buffy continued hitting.

"So you really think they might be able to help us?" Buffy asked.

"Uh, if you mean are they gonna help us find out something about Glory ... I saw that coming." Giles aid seeing Buffy move. "You're dropping your shoulder." Buffy looked surprised, then continued to hit. "Uh, the resources that the ... Watchers Council has at their disposal, I mean the Central Library alone is just..." Buffy stopped hitting.

"Don't talk about the books again. You get all ... and sometimes there's drool." Buffy said sternly. Angel laughed. Buffy resumed to hit.

"I'm sorry, but we, we've really exhausted the materials I have here, and we're coming up empty." Buffy continued to hit. "You're, you're still dropping your shoulder. I can see when you're gonna go with your right." Buffy kept hitting. "You're doing it again!" Buffy hit Giles sharply in the upper arm and he stumbled aside. "Ow!"

"Sorry! Sorry. So, Glory's all you're gonna talk to them about, right?" Giles nodded and rubbed his shoulder.

"Let's, let's take a break."

"Answer me."

"I, I'm not gonna mention Dawn's name. Nor am I going to mention anything related to Laim and Angel. I wouldn't do that, I promise."

"But you're gonna tell them about the key?" Angel asked. "That Glory's looking for something called the key?"

"Well, knowing her goal is, is crucial. I mean, i-i-if anything helps them uncover her origins, her, her plans..."

"Yeah, It's just that I trust these Watchers about as far as ... you could throw them."

"Thank you very much." Giles said sarcastically. Buffy sighed.

"I'm just freaked about the idea of giving them any information that could possibly lead them to Dawn." Buffy said. She sat on the couch next to Angel. "Not to mention mine and Angel's future son who came back to stop an even more terrible apocalypse then this one. The council could take him away and interrogate him. Just what he doesn't want to have happen."

"Truly, Buffy, if I saw an alternative ... We are getting real desperate here."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Angel said.

"Yes, I conquer." Giles sipped some water. "I just wish that Liam could tell us anything about how we dealt with it in the future."

"But he doesn't know. He said that he was only told about the things he needs to change. Plus it was probably a pain memory for anyone to talk about."

"But the fact that I live to have him and Dawn is there in the future proves that, not only do we somehow defeat Glory, but we live past it." Buffy said. "I don't know what could be so painful that he wouldn't know."

"Perhaps it's because someone else is killed or hurt." Giles suggested. "And all the more reason that we should know what made this event so terrible that no one told him."

"I agree. But in the mean time," Buffy said. "We stick to what we've got. Giles will go to the Watcher Council and see what they have. Angel, Liam, I will stay here and keep the demons in check." They all nodded.

…..

Anya, Xander, Willow, Tara, Angel, Liam, and Buffy were sitting around the round table looking at books and papers. Xander had Willow on his right and Anya on his left. Giles stood next to the table fastening his tie.

"You're going away for a 'week'?" Anya asked excitedly. "That's great!"

"Yes, yes, everybody seems delighted about it." Giles deadpanned.

"Well, I get to run the store, right?" Giles looked alarmed. He clearly hadn't though about it until just then.

"You? Ah, w-well, it's quite a lot for one person to take care of. Well, I-I mean, the trash men, for example, I mean, they, they, they've been making such a mess in the back alley, the recycling people can't get in there to collect. Well, somebody has to talk to them."

"Or you could do what any other normal American does?" Liam said. They looked at him. "Threaten them."

"I can do that." Anya said.

"No, you will certainly not." Giles replied. "Just talk to them.

"I'm envious, Mr. Giles." Tara said. A trip to England sounds so exciting and exotic. Un...less you're English." Giles grinned.

"Look, don't worry about the shop." Buffy said. "We'll take care of it. We can open and close, and, and we'll deal with everyone." Anya frowned.

"We can come by between classes!" Willow added. "Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens ... but it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know, insane."

"I said 'quirky.'" Tara corrected.

"I would have gone with insane." Liam said. This got him a look form Willow.

"Hello, I work here!" Anya said all annoyed. "I'll take care of everything. Xander tell him!"

"She can take care of it, Giles." Xander said.

"And we'll help her." Willow said.

"I don't need your help!" Anya cried.

"I think what Willow means," Angel said quickly, hoping to avoid a fight, "is that if anything bad happens, we'll be here to help."

"Everything will be fine, Giles." Buffy promised, giving him a smile. "It's just a few days. It'll be fine."

…..

Giles had been gone for two days while talking to the council. In that time, Angel was accepted back into the gang by everyone, except Xander. He was still edgy when it came to Angel or Liam for that matter. But that didn't stop Angel or Liam from hanging out with them. Tara and Angel had really gotten along. Tara was a little shy when they first met but lightened up when they started talking to each other. Angel liked her. She reminded him a little of his sister back when he was human. He was really a lot happier since his soul was bound, and not just because of Buffy. Liam, his son, had started spending time with him and they couldn't be separate after that. Liam told Angel he liked playing hockey and they played together in the basement of the mansion and on Tuesdays, the ice rink. Liam was really good. He would spend time with his family by going to dinner with them and go out on patrols. He would even volunteer to babysit Dawn and spend time with his grandmother. Joyce and Dawn didn't mind. They loved Liam. Liam would help Dawn with her homework and do some of her chores. He said he missed doing that stuff and she didn't complain. Everything seemed to be going great for the family.

Liam had walked into the magic shop and Angel had come in through the sewer system since it was day outside. They both found Anya, Willow, and Tara.

"Hey guys." Tara greeted them.

"Hi Tara." The two men replied.

"Where's Buffy?" Willow asked.

"She's got class. What's going on here?" Angel asked looking at all the magic stuff spread out on the table.

Tara and I are attempting to make a spell for Buffy on Patrol" she explained. "When we're done, she's going to have a little surprise for the vamps she meets."

"Pray none of them are Angel." Liam said.

"No. Don't want that." Tara said. "It's going to be a ball of instant sunlight. That way when she's surrounded by a lot of vampires, she can just pull it out and all the vampires will be dust. Just don't look directly at it."

"Not a problem."

"But that's a goo idea." Angel commented. "It could really help."

"Yeah but I wonder why a whole bunch of vamps haven't tried that yet"

"Instant sunlight?" Willow asked Liam.

"No, gang up on Buffy. It's like at most she faces five or six vamps at once. Why haven't they formed into one giant army and attack her at brute force?"

"Because not a lot of vampires are smart." Angel replied. "If they were, they wouldn't go against Buffy."

"Good point." The girl's laughed. "So how's it coming with the ball of sunshine anyway?"

"Still a work in progress." Willow answered. "But we're getting it."

"They are taking items from the shop." Anya cried. "Items that you should pay for."

"Anya, Giles would be totally fine with this. Come on, it'll be fun. We could show you how to do some stuff! You could be floatin' pencils by the end of the day."

"Sometimes I miss having powers. Oh. Oh! I know what this is! This is peer pressure! Any second now you're gonna make me smoke tobacco and, and have drugs."

"Look how easy." They all looked at the table. A small stick of dried sage and a vial rose off the table and floated in the air.

"Hey! Don't float the merchandise!" She grabbed the items and put them back on the table. A few more items on the counter rose into the air. "Stop that!" Xander entered the shop and walked past the floating stuff without noticing.

"Hey, look at this, my two favorite girls!" Xander said then say Tara. "Three favorite girls." Then he saw Liam and Angel. "And the two guys who just here." Liam shook his head, angel just glared.

"Xander, Willow's stealing. She's a burglar."

"Right, the cunning, broad daylight in front of everyone burglar." Willow said. "Xander, I'm just doing a spell to help Buffy." Xander nodded

"Xander, Giles left me in charge. Tell her."

"Xander, what I'm doing, it's a good thing. And if it doesn't work, Giles never even needs to know about it." Willow took a pinch of something out of the bowl, and sprinkled it on the cash register. The register disappeared in a puff of pink smoke. "Oops." Anya rushed over. The others come over as well.

"The cash register! What did you do with the cash register? Dear god!"

"I'll fix it, I'll fix it! _Recursat_." Another pink puff, and the register reappeared. "There, all back. Good as new."

"Money. Did you hurt the money?" Anya opened the cash register and coughed as smoke came out. "Money good? She endangered the money Xander!" Xander just shrugged.

"Of course, that's what she cares about. 'I like money better than people. People can so rarely be exchanged for goods and/or services.'" Willow imitated Anya.

"Xander, she's pretending to be me!"

"Well, can you even believe how she's acting?"

"Okay, you know what?" Xander said not wanting to be in the middle of it all. "I'm tired of being the one in the middle. I'm not gonna let you pull me into this."

"I'm not."

"Whatever the issue is between you two, just figure it out without me." He started for the door.

"Xander, don't go!" Anya yelled. Xander slammed the door behind him.

"You made him mad." Willow blamed Anya.

"Me?!" Anya said angrily.

"Tara, who do you think he was more mad at?" Tara looked uncomfortable.

"Um, you know?" Tara began. "I think, uh, maybe, maybe you guys have some stuff you need to work out, you know, just really ... talk." She left. Willow and Anya turned to Angel. Angel took a nervous step back.

"Um…" He began. "I've got to go to….Bye." he ran to the sewer entrance and left. Willow and Anya then turned to Liam. He just turned and left without a word.

…..

Liam dropped into the sewers searching for his father.

"Dad." He said.

"Yeah." Angel came from around a corner. "Didn't think you would get out of there."

"I've been in some of those situations before. I know how to deal with them."

"How?"

"Just walk out. That's why me and my girlfriend never got into a fight."

"You never got into a fight with your girlfriend? Wait, you have a girlfriend?"

"Dad, I am the perfect blend of you and mom. If both of you can get dates by walking into a place, I can get a two just by standing on a street corner." Angel laughed. His son was really funny. Must have gotten that form being around Xander in the future. "So where to now?"

"Well anywhere's better than back in the shop."

"How about the Bronze?"

"Sure."

…

Xander was at the Bronze eating a bowl of peanuts. Liam and Angel entered and started to make their way overt to the counter when they noticed him.

"Hey Xander." Liam greeted him.

"Couldn't stay in there hunh?" Xander said.

"I don't know about gramps, but I've had my fill of angry women and I don't want have another experience."

"Hey, I spent most of my years with Darla and Drusilla." Angel countered. "I piss one of them off by sleeping with the other. I know what it's like."

"And yet you still stayed with them." Liam turned to the counter to get drinks leaving Angel and Xander in an awkward silence.

"So….how are things?" Angel asked trying to make small talk.

"You just saw what my life is. So not good." Xander replied. Angel nodded. More awkward silence. "Look…" Xander finally said. "It's fair to say that I don't like you." Angel crossed his arms and glared at him. "And it's also fair to say that you don't like me. But I watched Buffy since you came back. I saw her when she was with Riley, and I see that she's happier with you then she was with him." Angel almost cracked a smile. "I like him better than you." Smile never showed. "But you are what makes Buffy happy. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that….I like seeing happy. That's really all I want for her. Which leads to this. If you break her heart one more time, I will do everything I can to end your existence." Angel looked a little stunned. Xander actually made a good threat to Angel. Something he never he would do. Angel was impressed.

"You don't have to worry about that." Angel said taking a seat on at the table. "But if I do break her heart again, I'll kneel before you as you raise the stake." Xander nodded in agreement. Liam came back with the drinks.

"So what are you guys talking about?" he asked as he sat down.

"Nothing" Angel replied. Spike walked from the bar and notice the three.

"Well, never thought I'd see the day you three together willingly." Spike said.

"Spike, don't let me stop you from not being here." Xander said.

"Hey, I was here first, you know." He sat down with them. "So what brings you lot here?"

"I'm hiding. I don't know about the other two."

"We didn't really have anything to do." Liam said.

"Oh." Spike acknowledged. They were all silent for a minute. "Hey peaches, bet I could beat you in a game of pool."

"You're on" Angel said.

"Hey, let's play teams" Liam suggested.

"I'll be with Angel" Xander stated.

"Really?" Angel asked.

"I prefer you over him any day."

"Hey!" Spike protested.

"Come on Spike." Liam said getting up. "I'll be on your team." They went to the pool table and they all started playing.

"So, who are you hiding from?" Spike asked as he took a shot. "Your turn peaches."

"I'm hiding from my girlfriend." Xander said.

"Ah, yeah. Why?"

"She and Willow were arguing and wanted him to settle it." Angel said as he took a shot. "Your turn Liam."

"They always get into these fights, and they're both looking at me like I'm the referee. Also, sometimes I'll say something about Anya, and Willow'll get this look, this, um, 'what the hell do you see in her' look.

"I know that look." Spike said. "Lot of people never really got Dru, you know."

"Wasn't, she was insane?" Liam asked as took a shot.

"Yeah." Spike said wistfully.

"Then it's like, well, I get all torn." Xander continued as Liam gave him the pool stick. "Because, Willow's my best friend and I really value her opinion, but, uh, Anya's my girlfriend, you know?"

"Well if your girlfriend and best friend value you at all, they shouldn't put you in one of those situations." Liam said. "I never had got involved in any of those."

"How'd you manage to do that?" Spike asked as he took the cue.

"He walked away from them." Angel said taking a sip of beer.

"You are a smart man." Xander commented.

"Hey, ain't my problem why do I got a fix it." Liam said. "We win."

"OH come on." Angel complained. "I never lost a game to Spike."

"Did today mate." Spike said grinning smugly. Someone bumped into Spike. "Hey, watch it, mate." They all turned to look up at troll standing before them. "On second thought, do what you like." The troll sniffed the air.

"Ale! Yes!" it said. He walked over to where a guy was wheeling a dolly with two half-kegs on it. "Ah, fragrant ale!" he picked up a keg with one hand, lifted it to his mouth and began to drink.

"Huh." Liam said. "There's something you don't see every day." The troll looked around and spotted the four staring at him.

"You there! Do you know where there are babies?"

"Nope. Sorry mate" Spike said. The troll looked unhappy and grabbed a second keg off the dolly. Xander, Liam, Angel, and Spike edged their way toward the door. Just as they reach it, Anya and Willow entered.

"Xander!" Anya said. "You shouldn't be here. There's a troll.

"Uh, a big guy? Hammer?" Xander said. Anya nodded. "I think I noticed him." Anya and Willow looked over at where the troll was drinking the second keg.

"What exactly happened?" Angel asked the girls.

"Willow accidently released it with magic." Anya said, glaring at Willow.

"Um, why are you guys all with each other?" Willow asked. The guys just stared at each other. Suddenly the troll grabbed someone by their shirt and threw them across the room. Then he picked up his giant hammer and smashed the counter. "I wish Buffy were here." Willow said worriedly.

"I'm here!" Buffy suddenly ran inside, followed closely by Tara. Willow looked surprised and smiled a little.

"I wish I had a million dollars." She said. Everyone stared at her. "Just checking."

What's going on? Where did he come from?"

"Willow stole ingredients and released him from a purple crystal. He's a troll." Anya replied.

"You did this?" Buffy asked Willow."

"Me? No, we. I mean, us." Willow said pointing to Anya. "Uh, her. It's very complex."

"Could his get any weirder?" Liam asked Spike.

"Well, we can stop him." Anya said. "Willow, do the spell. Willow was began to chant when the troll stopped drinking and looked over at them

"You" He said pointing at them. "... told the witch to do that, Anyanka. You seem determined to put an end to all my fun. Just like you always did when we were dating!" Everyone stared at Anya. Xander frowned.

"Just got weirder." Spike said to Liam.

"You went out with a troll?" Xander asked.

"Well he wasn't a troll then." Anya started to explain. "He was just a Big, dumb man. And he cheated on me, so I turned him into troll. Which, by the way, is how I got the job as a vengeance demon." Olaf roared angrily and smashed the countertop with his hammer.

"I did not cheat!" he said. "Not in my heart. It was only one wench! I, I had had a great deal of mead! Next thing I know, I'm a troll! Ohh ... ohh ... you did this, Anyanka. You will die for this."

"But, but, you seem to enjoy the, the being a troll." Xander said.

"I adjusted. And then what happened? Witches. Filthy, dirty, disgusting witches. They trapped me. I was imprisoned in that crystal for centuries. Ohh, a curse on all witches! All must die!"

"Willow, now might be a good time to do that spell." Liam said. Willow began to chant. Olaf lunged forward but Buffy kicked him in the chest. As she drived him back, kicking and punching, Angel followed right behind her. Buffy ducked a punch and Angel prepared to punch Olaf himself, but was hit by a swinging arm ands went flying aside. Liam lunged forward and seized Olaf and shoved him down on a pool table. They both grappled for his hammer. Olaf shoves Liam and he went flying backward into Spike, who was attempting to help. They both fall down again. Olaf got up from the pool table and began smashing the pillars that held up the upper level of the Bronze. The entire upper level of the Bronze came crashing down, bringing people and tables with it. A large piece of wood was pinning Buffy down. Angel came over and lifted it off of her.

"Are you ok?" Angel asked Buffy.

"I'm fine." Buffy said getting up. "How's Liam?" she whispered. They looked over and found Liam pushing a platform off of him and Spike and getting up. She turned back to Angel. "There are people hurt more then us." The whole Scooby Gang started digging people out of the rubble. Some were badly injured.

"So what's next?" Spike asked crouching next to an injured woman. She had blood on her face. Spike put something under her head for support.

"We need to catch Olaf." Buffy replied.

"Aside from the obvious." Liam deadpanned. This got him a look form both of his parents.

"We can't let him hurt anymore people. Willow, Anya, you guys go back to the magic shop and try to find a way to get rid of Olaf somehow. The rest of us should split up and go look for him." Willow and Anya nodded and they both left. After helping out the rest of the injured at the Bronze, they all went their separate ways. Buffy, Angel, And Liam all went together. "What was with that comment of yours any way?" Buffy asked her son.

"I just really don't like it when people state the obvious. Wastes time, energy, and breathe frankly. We already know what to do, we just need to know how to get it down."

"I'll remember that next time." After a beat. "So why were you guys hanging out with Spike and Xander?"

"Shut up" Angel and Liam said at the same time.

….

Buffy, Angel, and Liam had scoured the town looking for Olaf and got nothing. Even Liam couldn't find a trace of him with his glasses or his sense of smell.

"You couldn't have had a tracking module put in to those things?" Buffy deadpanned.

"Hey, I'm not the one who made it and I need something to track." Liam responded. "For a troll, he's kinda difficult to find."

"Maybe Willow and Anya found something." Angel said as they approached the magic shop.

"Or maybe something found them." They looked inside and saw Olaf beating up Xander and they burst through the door. Olaf dropped Xander and turned to face them. Buffy stepped forward and hit him in the stomach.

"Buffy, the hammer!" Anya said. "The strength's in the hammer!" Olaf swung the hammer at Buffy. She ducked and hit him again. He hit her with the hammer and she landed on some debris. Angel went to Buffy as Liam lunged at Olaf. He round housed kicked him square in the jaw and sent him back a few feet.

"You are strong dark clothed one." Olaf said. "But you are still weak when compared to me."

"We'll see about that." Liam countered and punched Olaf in the face. Olaf swung his hammer and sent Liam flying on to the round table. Liam got up and continued to fight the troll.

"Hey Olaf!" Anya yelled. "You're as inadequate a troll as you were a boyfriend!" Olaf looked over at her with an angry grunt.

"Ooo, that must hurt" Liam said and landed another blow. "So did that."

"Uh, y-you're hairy, and unattractive, and even women trolls are put off by your various odors." Anya continued to piss him off. Willow was muttering a spell. "Your menacing stance is merely alarming!" Olaf hit Liam in the upper arm with his hammer and flung him aside to land against a wall. "And your roar is less than full-throated!"

"Desist!" Olaf shouted and stomped toward Anya. "My god, woman, it's been a thousand years, and yet you are as aggravating and emasculating as ever you were." Willow finished the chanting and Olaf's hammer glowed green. It flew out of his hand as he tried to swing it at Anya. It landed on the floor and stopped glowing.

"Hey, good job."

"You too, very irritating." Willow said.

"So. Your power's in your hammer?" Buffy said. She rushes at him but he backhanded her and she flew across the room again, landing next to Xander.

"Anya" Angel said looking annoyed.

"Oh, yeah! I forgot he still has all that troll strength." Anya said looking apologetic.

"You shall all die!" Olaf shouted. "I will dispense no mercy now!" Angel lunged at him and punched him several times in the face. Olaf countered by hitting him hard in his face and sent him flying back. Buffy got back up and punched Olaf in the face, then again, then a third time. She grabbed his arm and twisted it up behind his back. He grunted loudly and threw her off. She lands on the floor again. "What are you fighting for, minuscule blonde one? Your friends? They will never last. Anyanka is very difficult to live with, and he's ludicrous and far too breakable. Their love will never last."

"Same goes for you." came a voice form behind him. He turned and Liam stood there with his hand raised in the air. Olaf looked confused and looked up. His hammer was floating above him a few feet then it came crashing down on his head. He stumbled then fell. Liam stepped out of the way as Olaf landed with a thud.

"Good job" Angel said grabbing Buffy and bringing her to her feet.

"Thanks. You guys ok?" They nodded. Tara came into the magic shop and saw the destruction.

"Whoa. Mr. Giles is going to be really mad." She said. Everyone turned to face her.

…..

Willow did a spell and Olaf dissolved into nothing and disappeared.

"Where did you send him?" Buffy asked.

"The land of the trolls." Anya answered. "He'll like it there. Full of trolls."

"It's hard to be precise, though." Willow said. "Alternate universes don't stay put. Trying to send him to a specific place is sort of like ... like ... trying to hit a ... puppy, by throwing a live bee at it." They all look at her. "Which is a weird image, and you should all just forget it."

"It's possible that he's in the land of perpetual Wednesday ... or the crazy melty land ... or, you know, the world without shrimp."

"There's a world without shrimp?" Tara asked. Willow looked at her. "I'm allergic."

"There's also a land with nothing but shrimp." Angel said.

"Pass" Tara smiled.

"Well during summer vacation," Liam chipped in. "May I suggest the land with nothing but fried chicken." He stared off into space with a smile. "Best birthday ever." Buffy and Angel smiled. They all looked at the havoc of the magic shop.

"We trashed the magic shop" Buffy said. she picked up Olaf's hammer. "But I got a cool new toy." She smiled and placed it on the countertop. After a moment, the glass broke from the weight of the hammer.  
"Oops."

…..

Giles had returned form England and was meeting with Buffy, Angel, Liam, and Joyce at the Summers' home. They were all sitting at the dinning room table.

"I cringe to think what the place would have looked like if I'd been away for longer than three days." Giles said.

"Well, maybe we would have had time to clean it up." Buffy said. "You know, if Willow used some magic's to help."

"Yes, 'cause nothing could possibly go wrong with that." Liam said. Joyce entered with a tray holding a teapot and several mugs.

"Rupert, I still don't understand why the other Watchers made you go all the way to England when they don't know anything." Joyce asked setting the tray down and sat down.

"Well, they don't know it ... yet." Giles began. "I mean, they have no record of, of Glory or anyone like her, but, uh, based on the information that I've given them, they're gonna look into it. Um, they might have something soon." He looked at Liam. "I ask you again if…"

"Grandpa I know you guys are worried about everything. "Liam said. "I am too. I wish I could help but like I said, I don't know about Glory or the key or anything about this current situation." Buffy looked to Angel.

"When we have kids," She said. "We tell them everything. Every detail. Just in case anything like this happens and one of our kids comes from the future to help again." Angel nodded.

"Oh wait, I do remember something." They all stared at him. "Just a joke."

"This isn't a time for jokes Liam" Angel said.

"Sorry."

"Do they know anything about Liam?" Buffy asked Giles.

"Uh, No, nothing. "Giles answered. "As far as they know, Liam doesn't exist."

"Perfect." Liam replied. "Just he way I like it."

"What about the key?" Buffy asked Giles. "Were they all over it?

"Yes." Giles said warily. He looked at Joyce. "You, you know all of this?"

"I got some of it myself," Joyce answered. "Buffy, Angel, and Liam told me the rest."

"Well, they're interested, certainly, and, uh, full of theories. Most of them ... nonsensical."

"They don't know that it's Dawn." Buffy asked.

"No."

"I still can't begin to grasp this." Joyce said. "I mean, she's my little girl, I..."

"It is disorienting."

"It's hard to wrap your head around it." Angel said. "Giles, what happens if they figure it out? What would they do?"

"I don't know."

"Best case scenario." Liam said. "They may take her away."

"Oh, I can't even think about this." Joyce said. "It's too ... I'll get some more milk." She got up and left the dinning room.

They sat there in silence, but none of them knew that Dawn had listened to the ending of the conversation and looked worried.


	17. Proposals

Chapter 17: Proposals

**OK. So before, I didn't have any good ideas for a date night with just Buffy and Angel, but then something hit me (not literally) and I got an idea. Date goes well until a certain someone comes along and tries to ruin everything for Liam. Yes, we are back to Liam centric. Yes the date isn't elaborate but I liked my idea so much. Enjoy.**

Buffy woke up next morning to the smell of breakfast. It was delicious. She thought that Angel had gotten up early and made breakfast for the family, but she felt two arms around her. She turned and saw Angel still asleep. She looked at the clock and it read _6:58_. Her mom wasn't usually up at this time on a Thursday morning. She was about to get out of bed when the arms around her tightened, preventing her from going.

"Don't" Angel groaned.

"Angel, as much as I would love to stay in bed with you, I want to get out of bed. Something doesn't feel right to me." Buffy said.

"What?" Angel got up looking at her. Then he smelled the breakfast that was being cooked. He remembered that smell. It was a traditional Irish breakfast. "Oh, that smells good." He said closing his eyes and inhaling.

"Yes it does and mom doesn't usually make that good of a smelling breakfast or is up at this our usually." They got out of bed and dressed and headed of their room. They met both Dawn and Joyce who were both coming out of their rooms. "You guys are here."

"Yeah," Dawn said. "I was sleeping then I woke to something smelling really and got hungry. But if mom and you guys aren't making breakfast…"

"Who is?" Joyce finished. They all went downstairs to the kitchen and stooped at the site they saw. Big plates were filled with traditional Irish full breakfast. Fried eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, coffee, and orange juice all ready to go. Liam was there putting the last of the sausage on the plates then looked up at his family gawking faces.

"Top of the morning." Liam said in an Irish accent.

"Liam," Buffy said. "What is all this?"

"Well I don't know what you guys call it in this time, but in my time we call it breakfast."

"We can see that" Angel said. "What's the occasion?"

"Just enjoying life. Which I haven't done in a long time. Actually kinda nice."

"What ever the reason, I hope there's more of it." Dawn said a grabbed a plate, filling it with as much as could eat.

"Help yourself."

"Liam you didn't have to do this. "Joyce said.

"I know. I wanted to." Liam said. He went to the fridge and pulled out a bag of blood for Angel and put it into a cup and microwaved it.

"Thanks son." Angel said smiling.

"You are a child of god." Buffy said as she grabbed a plate and filled it too. Joyce did the same, but not as much and followed her daughters into the living room. The microwave dinged and Liam got the blood out for Angel.

"Thanks" Angel said as Liam put down the cup and grabbed the newspaper on the counter. Angel took the cup and was about to drink, but Liam had rolled up the newspaper and hit Angel over the head with it. "Ow! What was that for?"

"What was that for?" Liam repeated his father's words. "I see you and mom come down those stairs all lovey dovey and I fail to see a ring. You guys have been back together for about a week and you still haven't proposed to her? Hello, you know that she'll say yes. I'm living proof of it. that should take some of the pressure off." Angel was stunned.

"You want me to propose to her right now?"

"Not right now but very soon. I want Connor to have married parents before he's conceived. That means you have to pop the question." Angel shifted his feet.

"Why all of the sudden?"

"Because," he paused and sighed. "I want you and mom to be happy together. I mean you guys are practically married now. You exchanged rings on her seventeenth birthday, consummated your relationship, and now your living together. Why not make it official?"

"It's just…This is going kinda fast."

"If you don't count the times you two were apart, it's long overdue." He paused again. "Dad….I just want the future to turn out ok. I want you and mom to be married and being happy. I know that there a lot going on, but I can't see a better time. We already know that we get through this demon chick, so propose and have the wedding as like a celebration party after we kick demon chick ass." Angel looked at the floor and then back up and sighed.

"This isn't really how I pictured proposing to your mom."

"Tell me about it. I never thought I would have to tell my dad to propose. But with everything that's going on, when are you going to have time? I mean, you do love mom right?"

"Of course I do." He paused. "I just don't know how to do it."

"Take her out and propose to her at the end of the night."

"But where? When? How?"

"Anywhere. Soon. On one knee."

"But I don't even have a ring."

"What about the claddagh rings?"

"I lost them when I came back form hell."

"Get new ones. Better ones. Gold." Angel though about it.

"Do you really think she'll say yes?" Angel said with a grin. Liam looked at his father and hit him in the head with the newspaper again. "Right."

….

Angel had taken his son's advice and went out later that day and bought Buffy and himself claddagh rings. He had to use the sewers and then go through the shadows to avoid the sun as he went into the jewelry store. He looked and found a things rings. He remembered Buffy's ring size and got himself and her, the rings. Ok, he had them. Now he just needed to set up the perfect date for her and him. He though about it all the way back to the mansion. When he got back he found Spike sitting on the couch watching Passion on a TV.

"Spike, what are you doing here?" Angel asked.

"Watching TV." Spike replied. "Get better reception her then in my crypt."

"Well go back to it. I need to think."

"About what?"

"None of your business." Angel went to kitchen. Spike followed.

"Problems with the 'wife'?" Angel froze. 'Wife'. He was planning on asking Buffy to be his 'wife'. Jus the thought made him feel all nervous. "Struck somthin did I?" angel didn't know why he did what he did, but he turned around and told Spike.

"Liam wants me to propose to Buffy."

"Your son is actually pushing you to pop the question?" Spike laughed. "Oh, that's a new one."

"It's true."

"Oh, I know it is. It just sound funny."

"It's sounds weird. And the worst part is is that I don't know how to do it. What kinda of a night it's going to be leading up to it." Angel crossed his arms.

"Might I suggest, just doing it." Angel looked at him. "The girls loved you even when she was shaggin up Captain Cardboard. It won't matter what will happen before you do, but the fact that you do do it."

"Spike, I never thought I would say this, but you may be right."

"Hey I was a poet before a vampire. I know love." He left to go watch passions. Angel stood there. Maybe spike was right. Both Spike and Liam were right. Buffy loved him. It wouldn't matter how he did, but that he did it. It was decided then. Tonight, Angel propose to Buffy.

….

Angel had everything ready. Dinner was made, the table was set, he checked his pocket for the rings for the eighteenth time, he checked out his outfit by looking down for the twentieth time. He was going to do it. He was going to propose to Buffy. There was a knock at the door. Angel had called Buffy over for a date tonight alone and told her to wear something nice. It would be jus the two of them. He went to the door and before he opened it, grabbed a bouquet of flowers he got for Buffy. He was feeling really nervous. He opened the door to reveal Liam standing there. He eyed the flowers in his father's hand.

"Thanks, but I prefer daisies." Liam said stepping into the mansion. Angel frowned and closed the door, setting the bouquet of flowers down.

"Why are you here?" Angel asked his son.

"To say congratulations. And to look for my cross necklace. I can't seem to find it."

"You mother isn't even here yet and I haven't proposed. I also haven't seen the cross necklace here. And how did you know that it was going to be tonight?"

"You called mom, I was there, super hearing, master detective skills."

"Ok, you don't have to be all snarky."

"Sorry." There was a knock from the door.

"Ok that's her."

"I'll be upstairs. Save a drink for me." Liam went up to the room that would be his when ever he would come over. Angel went to the door, did one last check of everything and grabbed the bouquet. This was it. He opened the door and there stood Buffy. She was beautiful. She wore a beautiful blue, strapped, knee length dress that showed off her curves. She smiled that same smile that could make Angel perfectly happy just by looking at it.

"Wow" he said.

"Wow yourself." She relied back. "Are those for me?" she indicated the flowers.

"Yeah. "he handed them to her. "I got them just for you."

"Thank you." She stepped in and he kissed her. She kissed back and it was getting heated. Angel pulled away.

"Why don't we save all that for after dinner?"

"OK" she aid with a grin and Angel led her to the dinning room. The dinner was just as good as Liam's breakfast. Angel went all out for a diner for two. Just him and Buffy. After dinner, they retired to the couch in the living room where they just sat and held each other.

"That was amazing." Buffy said. "It was the best dinner I ever had."

"Well there's more to this night then just the dinner." Angel said.

"Oh" she smiled. Angel sat up and looked at her.

"Buffy, I know that it's only been several days since we got back together. But the more I be with you, I remember all the times that we were together before. It feels like it's been years with you without ever leaving." She smiled at his statement. "I can imagine my life without you and I hate it so much. I want to spend every minute I cam with you." This was it. "So that's, Buffy….I want to ask….." Buffy's eyes grew thinking what might come next. Angel looked past her. "What the hell?"

"What the hell?" she repeated his words. "After all that you ask me 'what the hell?'"

"Buffy look." Angel said getting up. Buffy turned and was shocked at the sight before her. It was her. She saw herself standing before them. Except, she was wearing black jeans and a leather jacket. She had on the cross necklace that she was wearing right now and had a bag slung over her back. The only difference between the two was the fact that Buffy was blonde, and the girl before her was brunette. Buffy had seen her before. She was in one of Liam's pictures on that phone of his wit him and angel in the future.

"Mom?" the girl said. "Dad?" They all stood there in shock.

"Kathy?" Buffy said. The girl nodded. They stood there for a minute and then Buffy and Kathy ran to each other and enveloped each other in a hug. "Oh…oh…oh my god, you're here." Buffy cried.

"I am. I am mom." Kathy cried too. They hugged each other tight.

"Buffy." Angel said. Buffy pulled out of the hug and looked to Angel.

"Angel, this is Kathy. Our daughter. Liam's brother. This is our daughter." She was crying happy tears seeing her own daughter in front of her. Angel was in shock. His own daughter stood before him.

"Daddy." She said and ran and hugged him. Angle hugged back. His daughter was here. Buffy was crying more at the sight. Angel saw and gestured for Buffy to be in the hug. She came over and Angel was holding both of his girls.

"So are congratulations in order? "Liam said coming and only seeing Angel hugging Buffy. They pulled out of the hug and Liam's smile dropped as he saw his sister. "What?" his sister was in front of him. But that was impossible.

"Liam." Buffy said coming over to him. "Your sister is here." She was so happy. "Your sister came too. Did you know?"

"No I didn't." he said and went passed Buffy to Kathy. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded. This took Buffy and Angel by surprise. Kathy hadn't moved and stood her ground.

"I'm Kathy, the Vampire Slayer. And you are?" she retorted.

"Oh, I bet you'd love that."

"And I bet you love coming back and screwing up my family's lives."

"They are my family. Not yours." Liam yelled.

"Liam" Angle said. "What's going on?"

"This isn't Kathy."

"No." Kathy said. "This isn't Liam."

"Your dead."

"No. Your dead."

"You are"

"You are"

"If you two don't shut up, you're both going to be dead." Buffy said. They stopped but stood staring at each other not blinking. "Now what is going on?" the both made to speak at the same time. "Liam first." Kathy shut her mouth.

"This isn't Kathy." Liam explained. "How do I know? because I was there when she died. I felt her life leave."

"Oh. That is so rich." Kathy retorted. "Using how my brother died and twisting it so that I died to gain my parents trust."

"They are my parents."

"Are not"

"Are too."

"Shut up" Angel said. He couldn't believe his night. One minute he was having a nice time with Buffy and about to propose to her, the next he's taking care of his two children bickering. "If one of you is who you say they are, then what about the other one?"

"A demon." They both said at he same time. Buffy sighed in frustration.

"And to think I was having a nice evening with my boyfriend." She said. "Ok. So if one of you is truly our child, how d owe tell?"

"They both have demon in them. I can smell it." Angel said. "So that's out of the question."

"So how do we figure it out?"

"I suggest I kill the imposter." Liam replied.

"Great idea." Kathy said. "Except, I'll be the one doing the killing."

"Ok enough" Buffy said. "No one is killing any one until we find out what's going on."

"I'll tell you what's going on. "Kathy said and turned towards her parents. "He isn't Liam. I know it because I saw him die. He is a demon that came back in time to change the future and stop us from saving the world."

"He said he came back to save the future from going to hell." Angel said.

"Well he lied."

"No, you're lying." Liam said.

"I can prove it." she went to her bag and pulled out some device. "He probably told you that the future was hell. You guys died. Some sad story about you dyeing on certain days." Angel and Buffy nodded. Liam did say those things. "Figures. Well I have something here that will prove that he is lying."

"Oh really? What?" Lim crossed his arms.

"This." She held out a disk of some sort and pressed the middle of it. All of a sudden, a hologram appeared. It was of Angel.

"_Hey. If anyone is hearing this, then it must mean that Kathy has found mine and Buffy's younger self in the past. This is a recording to say that what Kathy is saying is true. She really is our daughter. The man who claims to be our son from the future, isn't really Liam. He's actually a demon that can shape shift into any for he wants. He came back in time to change the future for Wolfram and Hart. Put me and Buffy together and then let us have kids, and watch as the are taken from us and grow to hate and kill. Make us suffer. We got wind of what they were planning and sent Kathy back in time to stop it. Please believe her. If you don't, it'll be much worse."_

The hologram recording ended. Buffy and Angel were stunned. Liam, no not Liam, some demon, had tricked them. He wasn't heir son. Kathy was their actual daughter. Future Angel confirmed it. They both looked up at 'Lai'.

"Mom, dad" 'Liam' said. "You can't believe this. It's a recording of some shape shifting demon playing dad." He came over to them but the backed away. "I swear to you guys, I am your son."

"No you're not." Buffy said in disgust. "She just proved it. You're not our son." She had tears rolling down her face. "I want you to go. Get out of my house. Get out of my sight. Get out of my life." She yelled. "And if ever show up in that form again, I swear to god I will kill you."

"Mom"

"Don't call me that." She said through gritted teeth. "I am not your mother you piece of shit. Get out!" he just stood there.

"You heard her." Angel said angrily stepping forward. "She said get out. But if it was up to me, I would kill you right now to se what you actually look like. So consider yourself lucky." 'Liam' looked at Buffy and Angel and then at Kathy. He looked hurt.

"Fine" he simply said and left he mansion. Buffy stood and started to cry.

"Mom it's ok." Kathy said coming over and hugging her. "Everything is alright now."

"But I believe him." Buffy said hugging back. "I believed he was my son."

"I know. I've been fooled by shape shifting demons too. It hurts at times but you can get through it."

"Really?" Kathy pulled away. "Yes of course. You are the most strongest person I know."

"Hey." Angel said looking offended.

"Strongest woman." Kathy corrected. "We can get through this. Together." She held Buffy's hand while she reached and held Angels. Angel and Buffy held hands. They all smiled.

"But if that was a demon…" Buffy asked. "Then what happened to the actual Liam?" Kathy looked down and bit her lip. She looked back up.

"He died battling the same demon that had taken his form."

"Then we shouldn't have let it go." Angel said. "If he killed our son, he should pay."

"I agree. But not right now. Now I want to spend time with my family." She smiled at her parents. They smiled back. She looked around at the living room. "So what was I interrupting before I came in?"

"Well, you father was telling me how much he loved me and…" Buffy said and looked at Angel. "I think he was going to ask me something."

"I was." Angel said and got down on one knee and pulled out the claddagh ring for Buffy. "To finish what I started, Buffy Ann Summers, Will you marry me?" Buffy stared in shock. She somehow expected this, but it was still a shock. He gazed lovingly into her eyes. She looked back at him frozen, she couldn't speak.

"Yes…" she finally said. "Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes. I'll marry you." She threw herself into his arms and kissed him over and over with everything she had. This was a beautiful, perfect moment for her. She pulled away and Angel slipped the ring on to her finger. She smiled and kissed him again.

"That is so beautiful." Kathy said and clapped for here parents. This was truly a happy moment for them. Outside the window a figure stood watching. 'Liam' stuck around to see Angel propose to Buffy. Things were going to be right. He was going to make sure of that. He just didn't know how. He turned and walked away.

…

'Liam' was listening to _Sleepsong_. This song calmed him. It helped him think more clearly then anything. He sat like he was mediating and listened. As the song played, millions of thoughts and plans ran through his head. As the song ended, he suddenly got and idea. Probably the most insane and stupid idea ever. Either it would end, he would see his parents again.

….

The next day, Buffy and Angel had taken Kathy over to Buffy's house and called Giles. When they all arrived, Angel and Buffy began to explain everything that happened last night. First a short account of the dinner, Kathy, Liam, and Kathy showed them the hologram to confirm.

"And then we told him to leave and he left." Buffy finished.

"Wow" Dawn said. "So he was just faking to whole time?"

"Yeah. Looks like it."

"That's horrible." Joyce said. "And to think that I actually loved him like my own grandson."

"How do you think we feel?" Angel said. "We loved him like our own son."

"I can't imagine what you two must be going through." Giles said.

"I think we'll be fine now." Buffy said and looked to Kathy. "That love we had is still there, just to another." Kathy smiled.

"So you're my granddaughter?" Joyce asked with a smile. Kathy nodded. Joyce got up and hugged her granddaughter.

"It's great to see you grandma." She said. They pulled out of the hug and Dawn hugged her niece. "Hi Aunty Dawnie"

"Aunty Dawnie?" Dawn asked.

"Sorry. I use to call you that when I was little."

"I like it." Giles was next.

"Hi Grandpa Giles." Kathy said while she hugged her grandfather.

"Hello Kathy." He said and looked at her. "You look so much like your mother."

"I get that a lot." She smiled. "And speaking of mothers." She turned to Buffy. "Tell them about the best part about last night."

"What was the bets part?" Joyce asked. Buffy and Angel looked at each other. And held up there hands showing the claddagh rings.

"We're engaged." They both said. Joyce and Dawn squealed in delight and hugged Buffy. Giles went and shook Angel's hand. They all hugged each other in congratulations.

"oh that is so wonderful Buffy." Joyce said.

"Yeah." Dawn agreed. "When's the wedding?"

"We don't know yet." Buffy said. "I was thinking maybe something in the summer."

"Sounds perfect to me." Angel said.

"Well we need to start planning it. And we probably should tell the gang."

"You can tell them now. Suns out and I can't go anywhere nut the sewers."

"Right."

"Besides, I can stay here and spend some time with our daughter."

"Alright, but when I get back, she's all mine." She left to go and tell the rest of the gang. They planned to have a family celebration dinner later that night and Angel would cook.

…

"You're engaged!" Willow squealed when she told her at the magic shop. Everyone was there and congratulated Buffy.

"Yeah. He proposed last night ager a fantastic dinner. God I'm so excited."

"You should be Buffy." Tara said. "You deserve to have the happiness that Angel gives you."

"I am very happy for you." Anya said coming from behind the counter and hugged Buffy. "I am hugging you out of tradition."

"Thanks Anya." Buffy said. Xander came up to her and hugged her.

"Congrats Buff."

"Thanks Xander."

"You do deserve this." They pulled out of the hug.

"So what are you and angel going to do now?" Willow asked excitedly.

"Well we are having a family dinner at my house to sorta welcome him into the family. "Buffy explained. "Then I don't know. Maybe plan."

"Ooo. Can I help?"

"Sure." She looked at her watch. "Hey guys I gotta go. I want to go spend sometime with my fiancé." She giggled. "I have a fiancé." She squealed and ran out.

….

Later that night, the Summers, Giles, and Angel sat in the living room after an enjoyable dinner to welcome Angel into the family. They were discussing all the options that Buffy and Angel could use for the wedding.

"So we agreed on a summer wedding, but I want ti to be at sunset so that Angel could be outside." Buffy started.

"Why not in a church?" Dawn asked.

"Because Angel is a vampire and I don't want my new hubby to be burned."

"Good thinking." Giles commented.

"Oh, this is so exciting." Joyce said. "Planning my daughters wedding. I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Well considering what you just went through Grandma, I can see where you got the idea." Kathy said. "And speaking of never living, what are we going to do about the demon impersonating Liam?" Buffy looked a little uncomfortable.

"We'll find kill him when he shows his face again." Angel said. "If he's still around, he'll do what he can to kill us."

"Oh God." Buffy said. "We haven't told the gang yet. Liam might trick them into thinking that we are bewitched or something."

"I don't think they'll believe Liam over us. Besides, I don't think Liam even had that level of trust that I have with the gang. Liam won't succeed in whatever he's doing. It's only a matter of time before we find him."

"You won't have to look far." Came of voice from the kitchen entrance. They all looked and there were a few gasps as Liam stood there staring at them all. Angel, Buffy and Kathy immediately got into protection mode and stood up.

"How did you get here?" Buffy asked angrily.

"Back door was open." He replied. He looked to Kathy and stared at he cross necklace. "That's mine."

"Not it isn't" Kathy said. Liam smirked and shook his head.

"I though it best if we could end this here and now." He said to Buffy. "And if I was you, I'd send the non-super humans away so that they wouldn't get hurt." Buffy knew he was right.

"Giles, take mom and Dawn upstairs and hide. Don't come out until I say so." Giles nodded and ushered the Summer's women upstairs and into Joyce's bedroom. "There gone, let's finish this."

"Ok" Liam took off his coat and laid it on a chair. The he took off his weapons belt and took out a gun from the back holster. Angel made a move to stop him form shooting anybody. "By the time you get here, one or both of the women will be dead." Liam threatened. Angel stopped and the stood where he was. He didn't want to put Buffy or Kathy in any danger. Liam cocked the gun and then slid out the magazine and tossed it into the chair. There was only one bullet in the chamber now. He pointed it at Buffy and moved forward. Buffy stood still. He came very close and then did something completely unexpected. He had his arm fully extended with the barrel of the gun facing Buffy, then he turned it around so that the barrel was facing him and the grip was facing Buffy. He was giving the gun to her. "Kill me." Buffy looked stunned. What was he doing? "You think I'm a demon. If you truly believe that I am not your son, then shoot me." Buffy didn't move. She just stood there staring.

"Mom you don't have to do this." Kathy said. "I'll do it."

"No." Liam said forcefully. "It's her or dad. Not you."

"I don't like guns" Buffy said. "I've never fired one before."

"You aim and pull the trigger. A baby could do it."

"You don't have to do this Buffy." Angle said and stepped forward. "I'll do it."

"No." Buffy said and Angel stopped. "I'll do it." She slowly grabbed the gun and Liam took a few steps back.

"Go ahead." Liam said raising his arms. "Free shot." Buffy held up the gun to shoot but hesitated. A million thoughts ran through her head. He looked like her son. He acted like a son. Was he really her son? Was he an imposter? Was Kathy telling the truth? She didn't know. It would make everything a whole lot easier if the demon just shape shifted into it original form. Buffy's hand holding the gun began to shake.

"Mom, do it." Kathy said.

"If you truly believe that I am a demon, kill me." Liam said.

"Just do it and get it over with." Kathy said a little louder.

"Only if you truly believe." Liam said in a calm tone.

"Slayer, do it." Kathy said getting angry. Buffy was shaking uncontrollably.

"Buffy is everything ok?" Angel asked. No it wasn't. Somehow, Buffy couldn't pull the trigger. She may have believed that 'Liam' wasn't her son, but she was conflicted now. What if hew really was her son and Kathy was the demon playing tricks. Liam said it himself that the hologram recording could have been a fake. Just a shape shifting demon playing Angel. But she didn't know.

"Fuck. I'll do it." Kathy said stepping forward. She grabbed the gun and aimed but Liam planned on this. With lighting fast reflexes, he stepped forward, grabbed her arm with gun and aimed it upward. She fired and they just stood there with their bodies pressed together. Buffy and Angel stood there looking at what just happened. Liam leaned into Kathy's ear.

"I'm sorry" he said. Kathy flinched and gasped. Liam pulled away and took out a knife he had hidden and that he imbedded into her heart. Kathy stood for a moment and then fell to the floor dead. Buffy and Angel were in shock. Then the body turned in a body of a green skinned demon with blue hair. Kathy was the demon after all. Liam had told the truth. They stood there for a minute, then Liam stepped forward and yanked the cross necklace that the demon stole off of it. He looked at it and tightened his grip around it.

"Liam." Buffy said. He didn't acknowledge. He turned and walked to the front door.

"Liam" Angel called back.

"I'm not leaving" Liam said. "I'm just going to be out on the front porch. You should check on the family." He went outside and sat on the singing bench that was on the front porch. Buffy looked to Angel and he looked back. What had just happened? She had to push those thoughts out and check the rest of her family.

"I'll go check on mom and Dawn." She said.

"I'll deal with that." Angel said pointing to the demon. She went upstairs and check all the rooms.

"Mom" she said checking hers and Dawns room. "Guys it's over." She opened her mothers room and quickly blocked a lamp that was about to be slammed on top of her head. She grabbed the assailant and through him to the floor. It was Giles. "Giles what are you doing?" Giles got up and into a fighting stance.

"I'm, not sure if you are truly Buffy" He said. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Do we have to do this again?" Buffy asked. Giles just stood. "You had sex with my mom because of the band candy and when I had psychic powers, I heard my mom think that you were like a stevedore." Giles straightened up looking really uncomfortable.

"Ew!" she heard form the closet and Joyce and Dawn emerged. Joyce too looked a little embarrassed but happy that it was her daughter. She came over and hugged Buffy.

"Oh Buffy. I'm so glad you're ok." She pulled out of the hug.

"We heard a gunshot and we feared the worst." Giles explained.

"I'm fine" Buffy reassured. "the demon's dead."

"And Angel?" Joyce asked.

"Taking care of it."

"And Kathy?" Dawn asked. Buffy hesitated before answering.

"She was the demon."

"What? "Giles asked. "But I thought you said…"

"She tricked us. Liam killed her and she turned back into the demon that could shape shift. She had us all fooled."

"But everything's Ok now right?" Joyce asked. Buffy nodded and they hugged again. They went downstairs as Angel was coming back in from the back where burned the body of the demon.

"Is it done?" Buffy asked.

"Taken care of." Angel replied.

"Where's Liam?" Dawn asked.

"Out on the swing." Buffy answered. "We should probably go talk to him" Angel nodded. They went outside and saw Liam sitting on the bench swing looking at the cross necklace. Buffy sat down next to him while Angel sat across form them. They just sat there in silence. "I'm sorry." Buffy finally said. "We're sorry. We should have believed you."

"Not your fault" Liam said not looking up. "She made a convincing argument." After a beat. "I don't blame you guys."

"How could you not?" Buffy asked surprised. "We told you that you weren't our son. We kicked you out. We made plans to kill. How could you forgive us after all that?"

"Same reason you can forgive dad after Angelus." Liam loved his parents. Of course people will be fooled given enough evidence to contradict a truth. All that to be done was contradicted that. Liam would always forgive his parents. He knew them.

"We are still very sorry." Angel said. "You were here first and we should have looked at everything rationally instead of jumping the gun." Liam just shrugged. The whole time he was looking at the cross necklace. It had been his mothers at first, then it was Kathy's, now it was his. Sometimes he would ay to himself that he wore in memory of his mother. But it was of in memory of his sister. Buffy noticed this and remembered when 'Fake Kathy' had arrived and they both said that they both were dead.

"Kathy's dead in the future, isn't she?" Buffy asked. Liam nodded his head. Buffy closed her eyes in pain. Angel looked down.

"I thought that it would be easier this time." Liam said. Buffy and Angel looked at him.

"You thought what would be easier?" Angel asked. Liam looked up and they both saw tears forming in his eyes.

"Killing Kathy." They sat there in shock. Had he really just say what he said?

"Liam," Buffy began. "You can't keep blaming yourself for our deaths. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I played indirect roles in both of your deaths." Liam said fighting tears. "But I played the most direct role in Kathy's death that there was." He looked at her. "She was right in front of me, and I killed her." He looked to the ground. "I didn't want to. But she told me to."

…

**Day Time**

**Secret Wolfram and Hart building, Plains of Germany**

**August 8, 2030**

Liam was walking down a hallway of a magnificent estate house. He looked into a mirror on the wall, but he didn't see his reflection. Instead he saw a man with red hair, blue eyes, and a goatee. He was wearing a glamour charm so that no one can recognize him.

"I can't believe you talked me into this." Liam said into his commlink.

"_Hey, I inherited the talking skills, you got more of the sneakiness." _Kathy said on the other link.

"But even still. New recruits don't get this far in this soon. Pessimus will know."

"_No he won't. We got you in as fast as we could without drawing attention. Now remember, you go in to the rally and find Eve. We'll come in ready and crash the party." _Liam looked away from the mirror and walked more down the hall. _"But remember, in case we don't succeed, you can't blow your cover for any reason until I say so. Even when all hell breaks loose."_

"That's the biggest part of the plan I don't like. I don't want o kill are allies."

"_Then don't. Incapacitate them if want, but you have to pull this off. We have never gotten this far in any of our operations."_

"Yeah I know." Liam turned down another hallway heading for a door at the far end. "How are Bill and Danni?"

"_There fine. They'll be with us during the assault. Riley's men are with us too. We should have everything we need to execute kill/capture order on Eve."_

"I vote kill. We might regret taking her alive later." Liam got to the door and opened it. He entered into a dark room where he saw Pessimus and another woman talking. Liam and Kathy planned on infiltrating The Crows for months. Liam had to go under a new identity and new life so that there would be no connection between him and the rest of the team. It took him months after to just get accepted into the Crows and go under their training programs. They were brutal. If you didn't pass, you die. Liam tried his best, even going as far as to make it his personal goal. Finally he got in and worked for them for months. Pessimus took an interest in him and Liam worked hard to make it look like he was on there side. Pessimus approached him one day and dubbed him his apprentice. Since then, Liam had been working for Pessimus under the name 'Sean'. Liam wanted to make it seem like he was truly evil. He was a pretty good actor. The best taught him since he was a kid. Today, they might actually have a shot at winning this battle that had raged since his father's death. They would get the Liaison and set Wolfram and Hart back long enough to pump whatever information they had, then exploit all of Wolfram and Harts plans. Liam walked up to them and stood. Pessimus, the leader of The Crows, and Eve, CEO of all Wolfram and Hart buildings and Liaison to the Senior Partners stood before him. Eve had left Wolfram and Hart for Lindsey McDonald, but after Angel had him killed, she had no where to turn to and went back to Wolfram and Hart. They turned to him and Eve smiled.

"Are we ready?" She asked him.

"Of course" Liam replied.

"Well I took the liberty of making extra measures." Pessimus said. "We have a traitor in our midst." Liam looked surprised. He knew.

"What? Who?"

"Doesn't matter." Eve said. "We have everything planned. And pretty soon, that traitor will be sorry he was even thought of." They all turned and exited through another hallway where there were armed guards. Liam walked with them, keeping his cover. They went through another door that lead to the outside. They walked onto a balcony over looking member of The Crows. All of whom cheering for the three. Eve held up her hand and they all went silent. "Today, we will strike a major blow against the White Hats. The yare coming as we speak, and when they get here, they will deal with a lost so great, I would be surprised if they continued fighting." The crowd before them cheered in approval. The cheering stooped as VTOL Gunships flew around and surrounded them. "NOW!" Eve shouted and the crowd broke out in fighting. A few missiles hit the gunships and few went down. The rest started dropping troops and firing at the crowd. The Castle that they were at was a fortress. Guards and troops manned anti aircraft equipment and started firing. Eve turned to Pessimus and Liam. "We will regroup at clock tower in the center of the town. There we will end this. Split up and lead the men." Eve left after giving orders and Pessimus turned and went another way. Liam jumped off the balcony and grabbed a gun from a dead soldier. He didn't want to kill his friends, but he didn't want to blow his cover. He would fire, only if necessary.

"Kathy, Eve's and Pessimus are gone. They've gone to the clock tower in the center of town in the valley." Lima said into his commlink. "Eve knew you would be here. She knows that there is a traitor."

"_Be glad she doesn't know it's you." Kathy said. "Otherwise you'd be dead already. Just cut through the lines and meet her there. I'll be there with some reinforcements to help."_

"On it." Liam took off at a run and cut through the lines like Kathy said. A few soldiers fired at Liam but he kept running. He rounded a corner and a soldier hit him with the butt of his rifle. Liam was disoriented for a second but composed himself and grabbed the rifle. He slammed the soldier into the wall and then slammed his head, knocking him unconscious. "I really don't like this plan." He continued on. He got out of the castle and into another courtyard. He looked around at all the fighting. This was well planned out on both sides. A good offense and a good defense.

Liam looked around and found an exit out of the castle. He ran to it and ran down the valley towards the town below where more fighting was taking place. He got to the town and saw the clock tower. He ran into and out buildings, dodging whatever fighting he could. If got into a fight, he would turn around and run another direction, or incapacitate his attackers without killing them. At last he was about two blocks away from the clock tower.

"_Liam, have you found Eve or Pessimus?" Kathy asked._

"Not yet. I'm just now getting to the clock tower." Liam responded. "I'll contact you when I find them." He ran into a building and when he got out onto the other side, Pessimus was there waiting.

"Sean" Pessimus greeted. "Glad you could make it."

"Yeah, I'm here. Where's Eve? I thought she would be here."

"Oh she left." Pessimus started walking and Liam followed. This wasn't part of the plan. Eve was supposed to be with him so that the team could grab her. "She left us to finish the job."

"What job?" Liam asked. A VTOL Gunship was heading towards the clock tower.

"_Liam you there?" _Kathy asked.

"This one." Pessimus answered Liam and a dozen or so crow member came out of hiding and hit the gunship with a rocket launcher. They scored a direct hit and the ship went down. Liam was shocked. Kathy was in the ship. The Crows surrounded it, searching for survivors. They pulled a few bodies out of the wreckage. All were dead. One wasn't though. Kathy. She had only a cut on her forehead and scrape on her arm. She was being dragged by two demons towards Pessimus and Liam. They stopped in front of Pessimus and he knelt before Kathy. "I know there is traitor in our ranks. If you tell me, I'll let you live."

"You're wasting your time asshole." Kathy replied. "I ain't talking." Pessimus smacked her. Liam had to fight to not protect his sister. "That all you got?" Pessimus pulled out a knife and pointed towards Liam.

"Sean." He said and walked forward. Liam froze. Pessimus flipped the knife and handed it to Liam. "Kill her."

"That's right. Kill me Carrot top." Kathy yelled. "And you…" She directed towards Pessimus. "You spineless piece of shit. Getting others to your work. You ain't got no balls of your own hunh?" Liam walked forward and faced Kathy.

"Show her what it truly means to be a spawn of evil. "Pessimus told Liam.

"Do it Ginger." Kathy yelled. "Do your job" she whispered silently. "Come on" She went back to yelling. "You don't have the balls to fucking stab me? Don't have balls like your boss here?" Liam fought with himself. Kathy was telling him to kill her. To sell the deception. Stay with in The Crows and defeat them from the inside. But he couldn't kill his own sister. He had a shot at killing Pessimus. But there was chance that he would kill him before Liam could. He fought hard. What should he do? "Come on bitch, do it." Kathy yelled.

Liam didn't know exactly why, but he followed her orders and stabbed her straight in the heart. He leaned forward and whispered so low that only Kathy could hear. "I'm sorry."

"I know." he heard her whispered. To sell the deception more, he twisted the blade in her heart, making her flinch and pulled it out. Kathy went limp and the demons dropped her. A gunship flew over head firing its guns. There was an explosion and Liam blacked out.

When Liam awoke Pessimus and the guards and demons were gone of dead. He saw Kathy's body and turned her over. He new she was dead. He saw the cross necklace that there dad gave her on their sixteenth birthday. Grabbed it and yanked it off. The gunship landed and troops came pouring out. Among them were Bill and Danni. They saw the sight before them and Bill went berserk. He ran at Liam and started to punch him contiguously.

"Did you so this?" He yelled at Liam. "Did you kill her?" Liam took off the glamour charm and reverted back to himself. Bill was stunned and stumbled back. Danni was in shock. Liam looked at Kathy's body that Danni had turned over and checked her vitals.

"Kathy's dead" she said.

"I…" Liam said pointing to Kathy. "She…she told…me too." He looked back at his remaining family. "I didn't… I wouldn't do…" he couldn't make a single sentence come out. He was in more shock then they were.

"It's going to be ok" Danni said and turned to Bill. "Lead the rest. Try to find Pessimus and or Eve. They couldn't have gotten far. I'll take Liam back to base and I'll be back with more support." Bill nodded and directed some troops to follow him. Danni turned back to Liam. "It's ok. You didn't' have a choice." She helped picked him up and lead him to the landed gunship. They got in and the gunship took off. All the while Liam looked at the cross necklace. The only thing he had left of both his mother and sister. He didn't say a word the whole ride back.

…..

**Present day**

Liam had tears in his eyes as he finished telling his parents about how he killed Kathy. Buffy was in more tears then he was and had her hand covering her mouth in shock. Angel had a few tears forming in his eyes. They both didn't like that Liam killed Kathy, but what they really hated was his life that he went through. Losing his mother, father, big brother, and killing sister. No one should go through life while dealing with all of that.

"And a lot of good it did us." Liam continued. "Later we found out that Eve and Pessimus knew that I was the spy and planned the whole attack. There plan was for one of us to die. Kathy by my hand, or me by Pessimus or a sniper that they had looking at me. If I made a move towards Pessimus, I would have been shot. Maybe both of us." He sniffled. Buffy began to sob. Angel just huffed and let some tears fall. They sat there listening to each other crying. Angel was the one to break the silence.

"I don't blame you Liam." Liam looked surprised. "I don't blame you. You did what you thought you had to do in order to fight the evil you were facing." Buffy composed herself and looked at her fiancé. "I'm not sure I would have done the same thing but I know I would do all that I could to defeat a great evil."

"I would have too." Buffy agreed through a sob. "And….if you hadn't done that, then you both might have died, and no one would have come back to stop it from happening."

"Silver lining." Liam said and Buffy nodded. She took his hand.

"You are a good person. You do what you have to do for the world and for the family." She put her hand on his cheek. "I am so proud of you for what you've done in the name of good. And while you may have done some questionable thing, you never strayed from this path. You just hit a few road bumps." She smiled and so did he.

"We will never stop loving you." Angel said. "You are our son, and we know you."

"Not well enough to tell when a demon is telling you lies."

"We're sorry about that." Buffy said. "We should have trusted you. Please forgive us." Liam didn't respond. He looked at eh cross necklace and put it in his pocket. He stood and headed to the door.

"I'm just a little mad at you both." He said without turning. "But like you, I will never stop loving you. Just give me some time." With that he went into the house and came out a few second later with his coat and weapons belt and left. Buffy sat on the bench and cried. Angel came over and held her, saying soothing words to her. Assuring her that everything would be alright.

…..

Buffy woke next morning to the delicious smell of breakfast. She got up full awake. Was Liam back? Angel woke up too smelling and thinking the same thing. They got dressed and met Joyce and Dawn in the hallway. They weren't so concerned with if Liam was back as they were about how much breakfast they can get. The all went to the kitchen and Liam was there finishing up making breakfast with pancakes.

"Top of the morning." Lam said in his Irish accent looking happy.

"I don't care the reason just that there is food." Dawn said and grabbed as much as she could. It was Saturday so that meant that she could pig out all morning.

"You made pancakes this time." Joyce observed.

"Yeah." Liam answered.

"They aren't poison because we treated you hostile are they?" Liam laughed.

"No. Just like making breakfast for my family. And if it's any consolation, I forgive each and every one of you." Joyce smiled and grabbed herself some food and followed Dawn. Buffy and Anger looked towards their son. The microwaved dinged and Liam took out a cup of blood for Angel.

"What's going on?" Buffy asked.

"Like I said. I like making breakfast."

"But last night you were crying and being mad at us." Angel said.

"Yes, and I got over it. If Kathy came to me and said that she came back by some mystical forces, I might believe her. I don't blame you guys. But next time, investigate." They nodded and they all grabbed plates and food and followed Joyce and Dawn. They sat down and Liam brought Buffy and Angel's engagement and they all started talking about the wedding. Everything seemed back to normal.

**Buffy and Angel are engaged. Liam killed Kathy by her request. Kinda of a sad chapter to me but I want your input on it. Next chapter is back with the canon. Hint: Watchers. Review and Comment.**


	18. Checkpoint

Chapter 18: Checkpoint

**OK. So back with the canon. Watcher council has arrived and things may get testy when they find Liam. I know, not really a good chapter summary. But enjoy.**

All of the Scoobies were meeting at Buffy's house. Giles was talking about his trip to England and the Watchers Council. They had called him saying that they had information on Glory.

"I've had some rather, uh ... well, I've had some news." Giles said. "It seems that the Council of Watchers has ... found some information that may help us out."

"About Glory?" Buffy asked.

"Presumably. We'll find that out when they ... arrive. Could be very important."

"Arrive? They're coming here? Now? W-why do they have to come here?"

"Yeah, don't they have phones?" Xander said. "Allo, Buffy, here's some stuff we know, pip pip." He did his best but bad British accent. Liam bowed shook his head.

"Yeah! Phones. See, I'd like them on phones."

"Well, what's so bad about them coming here?" Tara asked. "Aren't they good guys? I mean, Watchers, that's just like other Giles's, right?"

"Yeah, they're scary and horrible!" Giles looked offended but brushed it off.

"Um, they, well, they can appear a bit ... well, uh, hard-nosed, but, uh, well, essentially, their agenda is the same as ours, they want to save the world and kill demons." Giles said.

"Kill the current demons, right?" Anya asked alarmed. "'Current' demons."

"Giles, I don't want them to come here." Buffy said. "I don't trust them. Make them not come here."

"They're probably already on their way." Giles answered. "Our old friend Quinton Travers is ... heading up the delegation."

"They put me through that test, and it almost killed me. And then, when I was Faith, they almost killed me again. Honestly, I really can't handle almost being killed right now."

"Are you sure they're English?" Tara asked. "I-I thought English people were, um, gentler, then, uh, normal..." Liam snickered at here remark.

"Maybe it won't be so bad this time." Willow said. "I mean, Buffy, they did think you were Faith last time. Now that they know you're just you, maybe they won't care enough to kill you."

"It's not just that." Buffy said. "They're gonna screw everything up. I-it's a delicate time right now. I-I have to take care of Dawn, and-"

"But that's not new, you've always taken care of her." Xander responded.

"Right. Right, I, I know that, it's just, you know, there's, there's Glory, and..." she looked at Angel for a moment, and then panic entered her eyes. "Giles, what do they know about me and Angel?" Giles took off his glasses and began to clean them.

"I told them that he had moved out of Sunnydale and that he's back to help because he helped in the past. I did not tell them about your relationship with him. Let alone that you two are engaged. They don't know that there is or ever has been anything romantic between you two. As far as they know, you're the slayer, he's a vampire with a soul, and he helps fight evil." Buffy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. Let's keep it that way."

"Hey, relax Buffy." Angel said rubbing her shoulders. "We can get through this. Nothing's going to happen to me."

"It might be best if you guys didn't have a lot of contact while the Watchers are here." Liam suggested. "I may not have met a lot of watchers but I know how they work. Anything that seems not right, they'll look into it. No matter how small it can be."

"That might be the best course of action while they are here." Giles agreed. Buffy looked uneasy. She just got Angel back into her life and for all that time, it was best time of her life. They were now engaged. Now they have to act like they don't love each other. That was going to be difficult for the both of them. She sighed heavily.

"I don't need the Council looking over my shoulder when I don't even know what we're dealing with." Buffy said.

"Well, that's precisely why we need to talk to them. If the Council knows something about Glory, her agenda or her origins, then ... then maybe it will help us get a, a, a grip on what we're dealing with. Right now I think we're, we're a bit lost."

"Do what you got to do." Liam said. Buffy looked at him and had worried written all over her face. If the Council found out about her and Angel, it was one thing. But if they found out about Liam, that was ten times worst. They could take him away to interrogate him. Maybe even prevent her and Angel conceiving him. She didn't want that to happen. She found out her future and she loved the fact that she and Angel would be a family. She didn't want to lose it.

"I think for now it would be best if we conclude this meeting and head on out. Get some rest." Giles suggested. Everyone got up and left except for Giles, Angel, Buffy, and Liam.

"Giles, do they know anything about Liam?" Buffy asked frantically.

"No. They know nothing." He replied.

"That being the case it would be best if I didn't show my face around here." Liam said taking off his glasses. "If they see me with you guys, they will ask questions and they'll sniff out a lie better than dad."

"But no one knows except the family." Buffy said. "We can keep up an act. I did it with Riley, he didn't suspect anything."

"Oh, yes he did." Liam countered. "You just weren't around when he was suspecting. He was so uneasy he thought I might have feelings for you or wanted to kill you, he would jump on the slightest hint of suspicion. The council is ten times worst." Buffy frowned.

"Are you going to leave town?"

"Don't think so. Probably stay at the mansion with dad or at my apartment where no one thinks lives there."

"That's a good idea." Angel agreed. "Maybe I should do the same. The council can't interrogate or kill me if they don't know I'm still around."

"They'll know." Giles said. "I, I, I, I told them about where you lived and that you are currently here. They'll most likely find you." Angel frowned. He didn't want to be interrogated by the council. He already had a bad run in with them when Faith was loose in LA.

"So we all agree with what we are supposed to do?" Liam asked. They all nodded.

…

Liam, Buffy, and Angel were walking together to the magic shop. Buff was frustrated about the day she had in class where the teacher humiliated her and took it out on a vampire. Angel tried to comfort here but she really wanted to kill something.

"So why are you coming with us to the magic shop?" Buffy asked Liam.

"I've been at my apartment all day and I don't have anything to read that's interesting. So I come with to buy a book." Liam replied.

"Hope that the council isn't there." Angel said. They got to the magic shop and entered. They saw the watchers and froze.

"You had to jinx it." Liam muttered to Angel. They all tried leaving the shop before they were noticed.

"Bad day. Bad, baaad..." Buffy muttered while trying to sneak out.

"Miss Summers" Travers noticed them all. They stopped. "Good to see you again." Buffy sighed. Angel sent her an encouraging smile. She turned around and entered reluctantly, closing the door behind her.

"Mr. Travers." Buffy said. Travers eyes landed on Angel.

"And hello Angelus." He said warily.

"Just Angel thanks." Angel replied. All the watchers realized he was in the shop and felt nervous. Angel was a little pleased. Travers then looked to Liam.

"And you would be?" He asked. Luckily Liam had his sunglasses on out of force of habit so the council couldn't make the connection between him and his parents.

"A friend." He replied. He could tell that Travers wasn't totally convinced and he also saw that Travers was looking at him and at Angel. He could see a little resemblance. He prayed that he wasn't as smart as he was. Travers looked back at Buffy.

"Giles has just been telling us of your training regimen." Travers said. "Perhaps you'll favor us with a demonstration while we're here."

"Right now?" Buffy asked.

"No need to rush you."

"They're ... staying a little longer than I'd anticipated." Giles said ruefully.

"We've already laid out our project for Mr. Giles. Nigel?"

"It's an exhaustive examination of your procedures and abilities." Nigel explained. "We'll observe your training, talk to your friends..."

"Talk to my friends?" Buffy asked.

"Yes," Travers said. "We understand you're still taking civilians out on patrols."

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

"We also understand that you are taking two very notorious vampires with you. Angelus and William the Bloody."

"Spike and Angel?" Buffy cried. "Are you're going to be talking to them too?"

"Oh yes. We find it odd that you are working with them instead of fighting them."

"Angel's got a soul and Spike's harmless." Buffy snapped. "They're part of the team."

"Buffy ... I can sense your resistance, and I don't blame you. But I think your Watcher hasn't reminded you lately of the resolute status of the players in our little game. The Council fights evil. The Slayer is the instrument by which we fight. The Council remains, the Slayers change. It's been that way from the beginning,"

"Well, that's a very comforting, bloodless way of looking at it, isn't it?" Giles said scornfully.

"Not to mention they think that what we do is a game." Liam muttered silently. He grunted as Angel elbowed him, making it clear that he should shut up.

"Giles," Travers continued not hearing Liam's remark. "Let me talk to Buffy, because I think she's understanding me." He looked to Buffy. "Glory is stronger than you. She's a more powerful instrument, if you will. We can help you. We have information that will help. Pass the review and we give it to you without reservation. Fail the review, either through incompetence, or by resisting our recommendations...

"Resisting your recommendations?" Giles said angrily. "She fails if we don't do whatever you say! How much under your thumb do you think we are?"

"How much do you want our help?"

"She's not your bloody instrument and you have no right to do any of this!"

"Giles!" Buffy said. Giles moved away, frustrated.

"I understand you think this is unfair." Travers continued. "But there are factors which should motivate you to go along with the review. Now, I don't want to do this, but obviously we could shut this place down permanently."

"You can't do that. You don't have that kind of power."

"Of course we do, and a great deal more. In fact, if you insist on fighting us, we'll arrange to have Mr. Giles deported within the day. Never set foot in this country again. We can also have Angelus and William the Bloody killed for being what they are. Now perhaps you're used to idle threats and sloppy discipline, Miss Summers, but you're dealing with grownups now. Am I making myself clear?" Buffy looked angrily from Travers to Giles and then back. She glared at Travers.

"Fine" she relented. "I'll do your review."

"Good. We'll be in touch." The rest of the watchers left the shop but Travers held back. "And you." He directed towards Liam. "I never got your name."

"Because I didn't give it." Liam said coldly.

"Well we'll need it when we question you too."

"Good luck finding me." Travers looked surprised. He looked at Giles.

"Rupert, you didn't mention anyone in your report with his description."

"That's because he doesn't come around a lot. He shows himself when there is a situation."

"Ah. Do you know his name?"

"Yes. And before you ask, I will not give it at the request of the recipient." Giles sneered. Travers looked at Liam again and turned and left. The rest went to the round table in the shop. Buffy sat down with Angel and Liam. Liam took off his glasses and pinched his nose. Giles begun to pace. "It's a power play, that's what it is. It's about who has the power."

"I'm guessing they do?" Buffy said. "Big power outage in Buffy county?"

"Yeah well in Liam town, an army's growing and eager for a fight." Liam said frustrated. "I was told about how the watchers were, but hearing about them and seeing them are two different things." He shook his head. "I should have just punched those smug British grins off their faces."

"I should have set you all loose on them, that's what I should have done." Giles said.

"Giles, that Travers guy is like sixty." Buffy said. "I can't hit him. Can I?"

"I suppose not. Well, I could. I think I will."

"You hit dad." Liam said. "And he' 248." Angel gave him a look.

"Can they really do the stuff they threatened?" Buffy asked. "Kick you out the country? Kill Angel and Spike?"

"I'm not sure about the last part, but the kicking me out of the country, in a heartbeat." Giles replied. He took off his glasses and began to them. "See, the rough stuff, they're all right out there, a bit ham-handed, but they get it done, but, uh ... this stuff, the, uh, bureaucracy, the pulling of political strings, they're the best in the world. They can kill you with the stroke of a pen. Poncy sods." There was a crunching noise as Giles's glasses broke in his hands from vigorously cleaning them.

"This is one of the reasons why I hate politics and bureaucracy." Liam said. "Filled with nothing but dishonest, cheating bastards. Reminds me of lawyers."

"Am I gonna be able to get through this review?" Buffy said softly.

"Relax Buffy." Angel said. "You're and amazing slayer. You'll pass this review with flying colors"

"Plus without you who else are they going to get to play the instrument in their little game?" Liam said. "A pen?" Buffy smiled a little.

"I suppose they'll make it as difficult as they want to." Giles said sitting down. "The physical stuff could be a bit of a challenge."

"That's not what I'm worried about. It's the other stuff. Examining decisions I've made. I mean, twice now I've been within slaying distance of Glory, and twice she's kicked my ass without even tensing a muscle. And I haven't been able to figure out ... what she is, or anything about her except that she wants the key, which I have, and I can't even figure out if it's okay for me to tell anyone that."

"Buffy, no one could have done any better than you." Angel reassured.

"But no one else is gonna be asked the questions that I can't answer. They're gonna expect me to ... to be like a Slayer and, and know stuff, but I'm just me and I don't know anything, and they're gonna go away, and they're not gonna tell me how to fight Glory, and I'm not gonna be able to protect Dawn."

"Mom, calm down." Liam said. "Everything will be fine."

"Yes," Giles said. "The scandal here is not anything you've done wrong, it's the way they're behaving. Holding what they know hostage with a gun pointed at my bleeding green card, no less. It's humiliating." He sighed

"Also smart." Buffy said. "They picked the perfect thing. I can't lose you. Any of you guys." They all smiled.

"Thank you." Giles said softly. Angel kissed her head. Liam reached over and squeezed her hand. Buffy sighed.

"And hey look on the bright side." Liam said. Buffy looked at him. "If you fail and they try to kick Giles out, kill dad, and not give the information, I can prevent all that from happening."

"How?" Buffy asked.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises." He said with a grin.

….

Angel and Spike were interviewed at the mansion, where Angel was pretending to still live. Three watchers were interrogating them. One of the men held a cross, the other a crossbow. A woman held a clip board and was asking questions.

"So you both help the Slayer?" the woman asked.

"Yes" Angel said.

"I pitch in when she pays me." Spike replied.

"She pays you?" The woman asked. "She gives you money?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes I'm in it for a nice brawl."

"Does she pay you Angelus?"

"Angel!" Angel growled which made the watchers jump a little.

"Angel." The woman corrected.

"No. I help because I want to."

"Why is that?"

"I don't want to see innocents get hurt."

"In your opinion, how skilled is the slayer?"

"Toughest slayer I've ever met." Spike said. "If not, I would have killed her long time ago."

"She's the best I've ever seen." Angel replied.

"You both have killed Slayers in the past?" The woman asked.

"Heard of us have you?" Spike asked with a sinister grin. He walked a little closer. The two male Watchers shift nervously and hold up their weapons.

"I ... wrote my thesis on you two and Darla, and Drusilla." The woman said a little embarrassed.

"Well, well. Isn't that neat." Spike said happily. Angel smirked a little.

"We've both killed slayers in the past." He said. "But we have no intention of killing Buffy. Now if that's all, I would ask you all kindly to get the hell out of my house." The watchers all looked nervous then turned to leave. "Alright Liam you can come on out." Angel said as the door closed. Liam came out from the shadows and deactivated his camo suit. Spike was shocked.

"Whoa, where the bloody hell did you come from?" He asked.

"I've been there the whole interview." Liam replied. "Future tech grants me the ability to become invisible. They couldn't even see me."

"How'd you know he was there?" Spike asked Angel.

"I could sense him." He replied with a grin. The door opened again and Mr. Travers stepped through. "I thought I made it clear I didn't want any of you in my house."

"Actually you asked the others to leave." Travers countered. "You didn't say anything about not wanting us here."

"And you come in uninvited because?"

"Because I wanted to interview you myself." He looked and Liam. "And I see I have found you so I might as well question you as well." _'So much for a low profile. Nice Liam.' _Liam thought to himself.

"Fine" he said.

"Well if you don't need me, I'll be in the kitchen getting some blood." Spike said and left.

"You keep blood here?" Travers asked.

"Pigs" Angle replied.

"Ah, yes of course. How long have you known the slayer?"

"Almost four years."

"And you?" Travers looked to Liam.

"Several months." He replied.

"And what is your name?" Liam said nothing. "Right." He looked back to Angel. "You've known her for four years. Ever since he moved to Sunnydale?"

"Yes." Angle and Liam knew where this was heading. Travers was trying to pry out of Angel if he and Buffy are having anything romantic.

"What do you two think of Miss Summers?"

"She's a really good slayer. Best I've ever seen." Angel replied.

"She's really good at what she does." Liam replied.

"I meant what you two think on a personal level." Travers said.

"Nothing personal about it." Liam said. "I just help out. I don't know anything else about her."

"And you?" Travers looked to Angel.

"She's kind, smart, she cares a lot about friends and family. She would do anything for them." Angel replied trying not sound like her cared for Buffy.

"Are you two her friends?"

"Yes."

"Don't know." Liam said.

"Would you both do anything for her?" Travers continued.

"I would help her if the situation demanded it." Liam said. Good answer but he backed Angel into a corner.

"I would do the same." He replied hoping this would en the interview.

"Why is that?" Travers asked.

"I don't follow."

"Why stand by the slayer after all these years. It was documented that you moved to Los Angeles where you helped a rogue slayer from falling into the Watcher Councils hands. And now you're here. Why is that?" Angel hesitated. He didn't really know how to answer. He tried to think of anything that wouldn't draw attention to his feelings for Buffy.

"I helped Faith out because I knew what she was going through. Everything she did was eating away at her. You guys didn't help. I did. She was happy to turn herself in. She felt at peace. I came back to Sunnydale because LA was driving me crazy. I'm not staying here. Just helping out Buffy and clearing my head. I'll be gone before to long." Travers seemed to consider Angels response.

"Do you have any feelings for Miss Summers?" Angel pretended to look shocked at the question.

"What? No. There's nothing between me and Buffy. We're just friends." Travers studied Angel. Angel was a good liar. Practically told lies all his life. Travers however could tell that there more than what Angel was telling. "Now if that's all, get out of my house." Travers didn't move.

"I will. But first I would like to talk to…" he looked at Liam. "This gentleman" He didn't know Liam's name. That was good. Angel looked to Liam and Liam gave him a nod. Angel looked back at Travers before going to the kitchen. Travers turned to Liam.

"So you got me alone." Liam said. "What now?"

"I merely wish to talk." Travers replied. "You help out the slayer and that's all you do."

"Is there a question in there?"

"You help, and you give only your name which she and Mr. Giles failed to give."

"Still not hearing a question."

"The Watcher Council wishes to know about you so that we know that the slayer isn't in any particular danger."

"For the first time in history, The Watcher Council as a whole cares for the Slayer." He said sarcastically.

"We just want to know that you aren't an enemy."

"Why not just ask me instead of stating the obvious. I really hate that."

"Very well. Are and enemy of Miss Summers?"

"No."

"And yet you failed to give us anything about you."

"I don't like people looking over my shoulder."

"We are just trying to keep the world safe."

"Safe? Or in your control?" Travers was stunned.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me. The Slayer's fighting an evil she knows nothing about. You have information about this chick and yet you won't give it to her if she fails this stupid review. She fails, she doesn't fight, world comes to an end. Just because you didn't give her something she needed." Travers was feeling uncomfortable. "You wanna know something about me, I actually care about who is playing your little game. I care whether they live or die. And if I came upon information critical to an apocalypse, I would deliver to the slayer with a second glance. You just want to control her. My opinion, she's better off with out you. Now get out." Travers shifted then turned to leave. After he left Angel came back into the living room.

"It seems like they want her to fail." Liam stated.

"Yeah, but why?" Angel said.

"Probably to get the Slayer back. Watcher Council was made to train the slayer. But if they don't have one, there useless."

"Maybe you should tell your mother that."

"If she's smart, and she is, she'll find out on her own." Liam turned and went to the kitchen.

…..

The Scoobies and The Watchers were at the magic shop waiting for Buffy. She was late. The Watchers were walking around, looking at books, and moving stuff around. Giles sat in a chair by the table. Liam and Angel stood nearby, separated so as to not draw attention. Anya, Xander, Willow, and Tara sat on the balcony above, looking down. Their feet dangled in the air as they leaned against the railing watching the Watchers.

"Look at them." Xander said. "Big tough Council members pickin' on the books."

"Fascists." Willow commented.

"Dicks more like it." Liam whispered he could hear them but they couldn't hear him.

"Why doesn't Mr. Giles put them all out of here?" Tara asked.

"Because if they deport him, they're not just destroying his career, they're ... condemning the man to a lifetime diet of blood sausage, bangers, and mash." Xander replied. Travers walked over to where Giles was sitting.

"Well, your Slayer's twenty minutes late and counting, Rupert." He said.

"Buffy will be here, I assure you." Giles said.

"Yes, but when?" Travers chuckled. Buffy entered the magic shop a little bit later, holding a sword. Travers was sitting at the table with a pile of papers spread out in front of him. Giles sat on the stairs leading up to the balcony. "You're late."

"Yeah." She said. Giles saw the sword and got up.

"Was, was there an attack?" he asked.

"Yeah." She said again.

"We can begin the review at last." Travers said. "We'll, uh, skip the more obvious questions..." Buffy put the sword down on his papers.

"There isn't gonna be a review."

"Sorry?"

"No review. No interrogation. No questions you 'know' I can't answer. No hoops, no jumps, and no interruptions." She looked to Nigel who was about to speak. Nigel shut up. Buffy looked around and began to pace. "See ... I've had a lot of people talking at me the last few days. Everyone just lining up to tell me how unimportant I am. And I've finally figured out why. Power. I have it. They don't. This bothers them." she paused. "Glory ... came to my home today." Everyone looked alarmed.

"Buffy, are you…" Giles began

"Just to talk." Buffy interrupted. "She told me I'm a bug, I'm a flea, she could squash me in a second. Only she didn't. She came into my home, and we talked. We had what in her warped brain probably passes for a civilized conversation. Why?" She paused. "Because she needs something from me. Because I have power over her." Buffy looked around, hands on her hips. She walked the floor, looking from one Watcher to the next as she talked. "You guys didn't come all the way from England to determine whether or not I was good enough to be let back in. You came to beg me to let you back in. To give your jobs, your lives some semblance of meaning."

"This is beyond insolence…" Nigel said. Buffy grabbed the sword from the table and threw it across the room in a single movement. It flew point-first into the wall directly in front of Nigel's nose. He jumped back looking shocked.

"I'm fairly certain I said no interruptions."

"That was excellent!" Xander whispered. Willow and Tara grin. Liam smiled at his mother's intuitiveness.

"You're Watchers." Buffy continued. "Without a Slayer, you're pretty much just watchin' Masterpiece Theater. You can't stop Glory. You can't do anything with the information you have, except maybe publish it in the 'Everyone Thinks We're Insane-O's Home Journal.' So here's how it's gonna work. You're gonna tell me everything you know. Then you're gonna go away. You'll contact me if and when you have any further information about Glory. The magic shop will remain open. Mr. Giles will stay here as my official Watcher, reinstated at full salary...

"Retroactive." Giles coughed.

"To be paid retroactively from the month he was fired. I will continue my work with the help of my friends..."

"I, uh," The female watcher began. "I ... don't want a sword thrown at me, but, but, civilians, I….we're talking about children." Buffy looked up at her friends on the balcony.

"We're talking about two very powerful witches and a thousand-year-old ex-demon."

"Willow's a demon?!" Anya yelled. Everyone ignored her.

"The boys?" One watcher said. "No power there."

"The boy has clocked more field time than all of you combined. He's part of the unit." Buffy responded.

"That's Riley-speak." Willow whispered to Xander.

"I've clocked field time." Xander whispered back.

"And of course Angel, my fiancé." Buffy continued looking at Angel.

"I beg your pardon." Travers said.

"Angel and I are together. And one day we will be married. You will not be invited. None of you will be. And if you come anyway, you will be killed on site. And if you try to take Angel away from me, well, you know what Faith was like as a rogue slayer. You haven't seen me when I'm pissed."

"I can vowge for her on that." Giles said.

"And as for the man with no name, he has more power and experience than you know. He stays too." She gave Liam a smile and he smiled back. "Now. You all may be very good at your jobs. The only way we're gonna find out is if you work with me. You can all take your time thinking about that. But I want an answer right now from Quinton, 'cause I think he's understanding me."

"Uh, your terms are…..acceptable." Travers caved. Giles smiled hugely. The Gang burst into cheers and applause, and Angel kissed Buffy happily. "Uh, Rupert."

"Quinton?" Giles said.

"When we inventoried your shop, we found a bottle of single malt scotch behind the, uh, incense holders."

"Well, it's, it's not, you know, during working hours."

"I think I could use a glass."

"Well, I suppose we could…."

"Just a minute." Buffy said. "Glory. I wanna know."

"Well, there's a lot to go through." Travers said.

"Just tell me what kind of demon I'm fighting."

"Well, that's the thing, you see. Glory isn't a demon."

"What is she?"

"She's a god." Buffy's eyes grew in shock.

"Oh."

**Tell me what you think. Comment and Review. Stay tune.**


	19. Bloodties

Chapter 19: Blood Ties

**Buffy's birthday. Liam gives a great gift. Liam scolds Dawn. Ok summary I guess. Enjoy.**

Everyone was gathered at the Magic Box. Giles had the information on Glory spread out on the table, though no one was talking about her. There was something else that was a little bit more appealing.

"Look," Buffy said. "I know Mom wants to gather and make with the merry tomorrow night, but with everything that's going on..."

"This is exactly what you need." Willow said sitting next to Buffy. "A 20th birthday party with, with, with presents, and funny hats, and, and those candles that don't blow out... Those used to scare me." she whispered to Tara.

"Me too." Tara said. Buffy looked to Angel who was sitting on her other side.

"I can't believe you're siding with them." She said. "You know how all my birthdays turn out."

"Yes." Angel replied. "But you don't turn 20 every day. You deserve to have a party, so there."

"I just don't think this is the best time to break out the party piñata. We need to stay focused if we're gonna find a way to stop Glory."

"We're going up against a god." Xander said. "An actual mightier-than-thou god."

"Well, you know what they say," Willow began. "The bigger they are…"

"The faster they stomp you into nothing." Anya finished. Everyone looked at her.

"She's right." Buffy said. "I've thrown everything I've got at her and she just shrugs it off."

"Then we have to find something heavier to throw." Liam said.

"That might pose some difficulty." Giles explained. "From what the Council's been able to discover from the book of Tarnis and, and, and other sources, Glory and two of her fellow hellgods ruled over ... one of the more seriously unpleasant demon dimensions."

"There's more than one?" Tara asked.

"Oh, there are thousands of demon dimensions." Anya said. "All different."

"All dangerous." Liam added.

"And all pushing on the edges of our reality, trying to find a way in." Giles went on.

"I guess Glory found one." Buffy said leaning on Angel who was next to her. "The question is, why?"

"There's nothing to indicate that here. Just ... vague references to ... chaos and destruction." Giles said as he poured himself a cup of tea.

"Okay, so, we know where Glory's from. What do we know about her? You know, she's tough, yeah, but, but no bolts of lightning, no blasts of fire, shouldn't a god be able to do that kind of stuff?"

"It's probably being her in mortal form that's severally limiting her powers." Liam said.

"Correct" Giles confirmed. "All we have to worry about right now is she's immortal, invulnerable, and insane.

"A 'crazy' hellgod?" Xander cried. "And the fun just keeps on leaving."

"From what I've been able to gather, her living in this world is ... seriously affecting her mental state as well. She's only being able to keep her mind intact by, uh, extracting energy from us. Well, from, from the human brain."

"She, she, she's a brain-sucker?" Tara said in disgust.

"She, um ..." Giles read from a book. " 'absorbs the energies that bind the human mind into a cohesive whole.' Once drained, all that's left behind is, uh…"

"Crazy people." Buffy finished.

"Explains the all-expense paid vacations to the mental wards." Liam said.

"We have to find a way to stop her." Buffy said getting up.

"Oh, well, Tara and I can work on some tactical spells." Willow suggested. Giles handed Buffy some tea.

"I can do some research." Anya said. "I know 'way' more about demon dimensions than Giles does." Giles frowned. "Well, I do."

"This is great long-term plan-y stuff," Xander said. "But what about this ... key thingy Glory's looking for?" Buffy and Giles just stood sipping tea and exchanged a look. Angel was sitting and looked to Liam who was standing and exchanged a look of their own.

"Yeah," Tara said. "I mean, shouldn't we be trying to find it before she does?"

"I don't think that's what we should be worrying about right now." Buffy said trying to get off the subject.

"They've got a point." Willow said. "Whatever Glory's planning on opening with the key, I'm guessing it won't be filled with candy and flowers." Buffy stood and started pacing nervously. Angel gave her a look that said _'Tell Them'_.

"So where should we start looking?" Xander asked. "Do we know where it used to be kept? Who saw it last?"

"We did." Buffy said. Everyone looked at her. "Giles, Angel, and me." She didn't want to drag Liam into this "We, we know where it is."

"You what?" Xander cried in shock.

"You know, and you didn't tell us?" Willow said. sounding also shocked.

"There were ... reasons." Giles tried to explain.

"Look," Buffy tried to explain. "I-if Glory knew that you guys knew where it was, I ... I-I just didn't wanna put you in that kind of danger."

"As opposed to the other kind we're always in?" Xander said annoyingly.

"You should have said something." Willow said looking upset.

"I think she did the right thing." Liam said.

"And why is that?" Xander said to him.

"Because she cares about you enough to keep something from you that could potential lead to your end." Liam started to pace. "You said it yourself, we are facing a god. A crazy hellgod. If she found out that anyone besides Buffy knew about the key, she could torture you so much, it would make the book of torture Angelus made in his head look like a children's story." He leaned on the table looking at them all. "Tell me how that's better than you not knowing?" Xander shifted in his seat. They all knew what Liam said was true. Buffy just wanted to protect hem form more danger. "Exactly." He got back up and went back to leaning against the wall.

"They're right though." Buffy said. She looked to Giles, Angel, and Liam. "It's time."

"Are you sure?" Giles asked.

"If they're gonna be risking their lives, they deserve to know."

"Know what?" Xander asked. Buffy sat down and Angel took her hand under the table. She took a deep breathe before explaining.

"There's something that you need to know ... about Dawn."

"Dawn?" Willow asked. "What does Dawn have to do with this?" Buffy looked to Angel. He nodded saying she should continue. She looked back to Willow and gave her a look. Willow understood immediately. "Oh." She whispered wide eyed.

"What?' Xander asked.

"Oh my god." Tara said. She got the message too.

"What?"

"But how?" Anya asked.

"Ok. What am I missing here?" Xander started getting annoyed. Liam sighed heavily in frustration and came up to Xander from the back and slapped the back of his head. "Ow. What was that for?"

"Dawn's the key Sherlock." Liam said.

"What?" Xander said looking to Buffy for confirmation. She nodded. "No way."

"Dawn's the key." Buffy confirmed. "But she doesn't know." there was silence among the group. This was really hard to take in.

"But I remember her" Willow said. "I remember since you all came to Sunnydale."

"We all do." Angle said. "It's one of the things the monks did when they turned the key into Dawn."

"Dawn has no idea." Buffy said. "So please don't act all weird around her. In a way, she's still Dawn. She's still my sister." They all nodded.

…

The next day outside the magic shop, Willow and Tara were drawing symbols on the ground with colored sand. Dawn rounded a corner and walked up to them.

"You guys doin' a spell?" She asked them.

"Dawn, hey." Willow greeted her. "Y-yeah, we're doing an early warning incantation. If anything hellgodishly powerful comes within a hundred feet of the shop, then screechy siren things will, you know, screech."

"This should give us a heads-up so we can hide ... the, um, key." Tara said.

"We already put one up around your house."

"Cool, can I help?" Dawn asked hopefully. Willow and Tara exchanged looks.

"Well, I don't think Buffy would like the, uh, black arts bumpin' auras with the littlest Summers."

"Yeah, whatever." Dawn said and went into the shop. Giles and Buffy came out of the training room.

"I'm not sure our regular workout is ... challenging you anymore." Giles explained. "Perhaps we should make it harder." Giles ass writing in a small book.

"You always think harder is better." Buffy said. "Maybe next time I patrol I should carry a load of bricks, use a stake made of butter."

"Very amusing." They walked over to the counter, where Dawn was standing, with a notebook lying open on the counter. Giles put his book down on the counter also. "I'm sure Dawn feels that way about her schoolwork sometimes."

"That true?" Buffy asked her. "How was school today?"

"Um, the usual." Dawn answered. "Big square building filled with boredom and despair."

"Just how I remember it." Buffy replied. Giles closed his book, slide it off the counter and out of sight. "So, what's the homework sitch?"

"We have to imagine what we'll be like ten years from now and write a letter to our future self. The teacher's clearly so out of ideas. Wanna help?

"Maybe later. I have some stuff I have to do first."

"Maybe Liam could help me out. You know him being all…." Buffy gave her a look. "Him." She finished.

"Be surprised." Buffy said. Dawn noticed the book that Giles wrote in wasn't there anymore.

"So are you having to do all this stuff because of that weird girl that came to the house?"

"Glory. And no it's not."

"About Liam and his problem?"

"No"

"Right. Like you'd tell me anyway. Dawn's too young and Dawn's too delicate."

"Right. A young delicate pain in my butt."

"But a ball of sunshine to me." Liam said as her entered the shop and came over and hugged Dawn. "Hey Dawn."

"Hey Liam. So you think you could help me with writing to future self-assignment?"

"No he can't" Buffy said. Liam looked at Dawn and gave an apologetic look.

"It's ok, I just think Buffy's freakin' out 'cause she had to fight someone prettier than her. That is the case, right?" She asked Buffy. Buffy walked closer to her.

"Glory is evil. And powerful." She said softly. "And in no way prettier than me." She said in a normal tone.

"I just think you're getting soft in your advanced age. She didn't look that tough to me." Dawn smirked.

"Neither is Buffy when you look at her but….." Liam said. Buffy gave him a triumphant smile.

…

Everyone gathered at Buffy's house for the party later that night. Joyce and Dawn were on one couch, Buffy and Angel on the other, on either side of the coffee-table laden with presents. Xander, Giles, Tara, Anya, Willow, and Liam stood around. Tara and Xander held gifts.

"Prezzies!" Buffy said excitedly.

"See, just what you needed." Willow said as she blew bubbles.

"You are very, very wise. Now gimme, gimme, gimme!" Tara handed her a gift. Buffy began ripping off the paper.

"This is extremely suspenseful!" Anya said. "I want the presents." Buffy pulled out a dress.

"Ohh ... it's beautiful." She said. "Thank you, guys."

"Well, we thought you'd get lots of crossbows, other killy stuff." Tara said. "So we figured, less killy, more frilly.

"Here Buffy, open mine." Liam said and handed her a very flat present. Buffy knew instantly what it was.

"A CD." Xander said. "A mixer most likely. I would have assumed you would sing to her like you did Tara."

"Well I was going to, but since I don't have a band, equipment, and I would probably draw attention from the neighbors and the police, I figured giving her a CD was better suited."

"You sang a song to Tara?" Angel asked. Liam nodded. "How good was he?"

"He was awesome." Tara explained. "He played my favorite song when I was a kid and we danced on the dance floor. It was one of the best gifts I had." She looked to Willow. "Second only to you."

"Oh." Willow said and the kissed. Liam chuckled.

"Thanks" he said. "Back to Buffy's gift." Buffy opened the gift. It was just a CD case with a CD in it and it was labeled _'Sleepsong'_.

"Sleepsong" Willow said looking at it. "Never heard of it."

"Well let's put it in and listen to it." Dawn suggested. Everyone agreed. Buffy went over to the stereo and put in the disk. The song started to play and everyone froze as the music played and listened.

_Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay. Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay._

_Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby_

_Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay _

_And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow_

_Bless you with love for the road that you go_

_May you sail fair to the far fields of fortune_

_With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet _

_And may you need never to banish misfortune_

_May you find kindness in all that you meet_

_May there always be angels to watch over you_

_To guide you each step of the way_

_To guard you and keep you safe from all harm_

_Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay_

By this time, some of the girls had tears forming in their eyes for how beautiful the song sounded. Buffy had to compose herself. Not letting any tears fall at her sons' wonderful gift, even though it was so beautiful. She would sing this to his baby self in the future.

_May you bring love and may you bring happiness_

_Be loved in return to the end of your days_

_Now fall off to sleep, I'm not meaning to keep you_

_I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li, lai-lay_

_May there always be angels to watch over you_

_To guide you each step of the way_

_To guard you and keep you safe from all harm_

_Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay_

_Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay_

_Loo-li, lai-lay_

When the song ended, all of the women had tears in their eyes. Dawn included. The guys were touched in some way, but they tried to hide it. Liam could still tell that they all liked it.

"That was….Really beautiful." Joyce said.

"Yeah it was." Tara said wiping some tears from her eyes.

"Where did you find it?" Willow asked Liam.

"My mother." Liam said. He had tears in his eyes too, but with his glasses on, no one knew. Buffy suspected though. "She sang this to me and I remembered the words and the rhythm. Got it recorded when I was old enough after my mom died and I listened to it ever since.

"That's really nice"

"Thanks"

"No," Buffy said. "Thank you. It was really beautiful. I think I'll sing it to my kids too." She wewnt and hugged him.

"They'll love it." Liam said pulling out of the hug.

"Here." Dawn said getting up. "Open mine." She gave the gift to Buffy. It too was also small.

"It's not gonna explode, is it?" She opened it and removed a photo of herself and Dawn, in a frame covered with seashells.

"It's when we visited Dad that summer in San Diego. Um, I put the shells on it myself. We picked them off the beach."

"I remember." Buffy said softly. Joyce smiled at the two. Everyone else looked thoughtful. Dawn looked uncomfortable.

"Well, geez, don't get all movie-of-the-week. I was just too cheap to buy a real present."

"Thank you." Buffy said and got up and hugs Dawn. Buffy and Joyce exchanged looks over Dawn's shoulder.

….

Joyce, Buffy, Angel, Liam, and Giles were in the kitchen. Giles poured a glass of wine and Buffy poured a glass of water from a pitcher.

"It still seems to me like there's a lot you don't know about this." Joyce said.

"Well there is." Angel said.

"I mean, is she dangerous?"

"No." Buffy said.

"Well, now, wait just a second" Giles said "I assume you're talking about her existence rather than her intentions."

"Exactly." Joyce said. Angel looked at the kitchen door and saw Dawn

"Dawn?" Angel called to her. "What are you doing in there? Party gettin' slow?"

"We need plates." Dawn said and picked up plates. "Cake time." She walked away. They went back to their conversation

"Hello." Liam said and everyone turned to him. "Marty McFly standing right before you." Angel looked confused.

"Marty McFly?" he asked. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Does he ever get with popular culture in the future?" she asked her son.

"As far as I know, you beat it into him." Liam answered. Buffy nodded her head

"Back to Dawn and her being dangerous." Giles said getting back on topic.

"She's not dangerous." Liam said. "If she was, I never saw it or she never used it. She was basically a watcher in the future with a little wicca thrown in there. Aside from those things, she was just a regular woman."

"So then everything is fine?" Joyce asked.

"Yes. Dawn isn't a normal human being but she's still human enough to have kids and a family and a life. Whatever this key things about her is, it doesn't seem all that important in the future. Maybe you guys found a way to get it out of her and keep the human."

"That might be nice." Buffy said.

They all reentered the party to find great tension in the room.

"They were talking about me, just like everybody is." Dawn said to her mother.

"Again, not so much." Xander said. "In fact, none."

"We were talking about sex." Anya said. "I mean, you know us, sometimes we like to pretend stuff…"

"Too much information Anya." Liam said.

"Yeah, let's not have this exchange of images right now." Buffy said.

"Oh. Right. Of course." Dawn said angrily. "Can't let Dawn hear anything. Fine."

"Actually Dawn we're trying to avoid disturbing images." Angel said.

"Whatever. I'm just gonna go to bed. That way I won't accidentally get exposed to, like, words." She stormed out. Everyone looked unhappy.

"Way to not act all weird around her guys." Liam said sarcastically.

…..

Later on that night things had gotten somewhat back to normal. Willow and Tara were on a sofa, facing Buffy and Angel in an armchair.

"Not even a card, huh?" Tara said.

"I wasn't really expecting one." Buffy responded. "No contact with civilians. There's probably a ... code name for it. You know, like radio silence, it's greeting card silence.'"

"Sorry." Willow said.

"Don't be." Buffy looked to Angel and rubbed his thigh. "It all worked out in the end." Angel smiled and kissed her.

"Yeah I guess that's true."

"Oh-oh my god." Tara said looking past everyone. Everyone turned towards where Tara was looking. Dawn was standing in the doorway with a large knife in one hand and blood running down her other arm from a wound across the inner forearm.

"Is this blood?" Dawn asked in a daze.

"Dawn!" Buffy yelled. She and Joyce ran to her. "What did you do?!"

"This is blood, isn't it?" she asked again. "It can't be me. I'm not a key. I'm not a thing." Buffy looked shocked.

"Oh, sweetie, no." Joyce said reassuringly. "Wha-what is this all about?"

"What am I? "Dawn asked grimly, tears forming. "Am I real? Am I anything?" She began to cry. Joyce hugged her. Buffy looked to Angel exchanging horrified looks. Buffy too was getting teary eyed.

Everybody left the party. Joyce, Buffy, Angel, and Liam went up to Dawn's room to talk to her. Dawn was sitting on her bed. Joyce sat at the foot of the bed. Angel, Buffy and Liam stood in the doorway.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Dawn said softly not looking up. Joyce looked to Buffy.

"We were going to." Buffy said. "It just..." she trailed off. Dawn gave her an angry look.

"We thought it would be better if we waited until you were older." Joyce finished.

"How old am I now?" Dawn asked.

"You're fourteen, sweetheart, you know that."

"No. The monks. When did ... when did they ..."

"Six months ago." Buffy said.

"I've only been alive for six months, huh?" Dawn tried to hold in tears.

"Honey, you've been alive a lot longer than that to us."

"You don't know that! You don't know anything. I'm, I'm just a key, right? Everything about me is made up."

"Dawn ..." Buffy said sitting on the bed next to her. "Mom and I know what we feel. I know I care about you. I know that I worry about you…."

"You worry about me because you have to." She retorted. "I'm your job. Protect the key, right?"

"I worry because my sister is cutting herself!"

"Yeah? How do you know? Maybe this is just another fake memory from my fake family."

"Dawn" Angel said.

"Did you know?" She asked looking at Liam. "Did you know before you came here? Am I even there in the future?"

"Yes you are." Liam said after a beat. "You're my aunt. And you help take care of me."

"Right, or maybe it's just another fake memory when you came and met me."

"Alright enough!" Liam yelled and walked to other side of Dawns bed. "You are there in the future. You grow up and have a family. You get married. You help take care of me. You laugh, you whine, you cry, you bleed, and you annoy the hell out of your sister." He paused. Everyone stared at him. "You are just as real as I am. You are just as human as I am. Who cares how you came to be? The fact of the matter is that you're here. You have a family, you have people who love and care for. So quite bitchin' about what you are and who might be after you and embrace the fact that your human." Dawn was tearing up.

"Get out." She said. "Get out, GET OUT, GET OUT!" She screeched. Everyone got up and left. Dawn laid down on the bed, curled up hugging a stuffed animal. Liam went into Buffy and Angels room and started looking through all the books and notes they kept on Glory. Buffy and Angel entered in.

"Did you have to be so hard on her?" Buffy asked Liam as they closed the door. "She feels bad enough, you had to yell at her?"

"Believe or not, I know what she's going through. I went through the same thing when questioning my existence. And that speech I just gave was hers. She's the one that told me all those things. Every word. She was the one that got me to accept that it didn't really matter how I got here, but the fact that I'm here and should embrace it."

"But you didn't have to yell at her." Angel said.

"Maybe not, but I didn't see a better way." He went back to looking at notes and books.

"How about telling her everything so that she understands who she is."

"Great idea. I'll just go down to the book store and pick up a copy of 'I'm A Key and I Was Made Into Human Form by Monks'. I'm sure they have a copy available."

"Hey don't get snarky." Liam took in a breath.

"Sorry." He said calmly. He rubbed his hand down his face. "I can't go through this again."

"Again?" Buffy asked.

"Kathy" Angel answered.

"Exactly." Liam confirmed. "I can't watch her die. She reminds me too much of her. She kinda looks like her. I can't watch my sister die in front of me for a third time. I just can't."

"I can't either." Angel said. "She reminds me of my sister. She is my sister. We have to find something, anything that we can tell her to comfort her. She needs to know."

"What the hell do you think I'm doing?" Liam said angrily throwing a book at the wall and making a dent.

"Ok enough you two." Buffy said stepping between them. "Nothing is going to happen to Dawn." She looked to Liam. "You said it yourself, she's there in the future."

"Doesn't mean I haven't changed something so that she isn't." He sighed. "I can't lose another family member. I'll die if it happens again."

"Then we'll make sure that doesn't happen." Buffy went and hugged him. "Everything will be fine." Angel went and hugged them.

….

The next day didn't help much with the events form last night.

"We need answers, Giles." Buffy said. "We need to find out everything we can about the key. What's it for, who created it."

"And why Glory has a big girl-god jones for it." Xander said.

"This isn't about her. It's about Dawn. She deserves to know where she came from. She needs to know. Or it's just gonna eat away at her." Giles looked at his notebook and papers on the counter.

"How did she find these? How did she get in here?"

"Ew!" Anya said. She turned away from the back shelves, holding an item. "Who's been using the urn of Ishtar as an ashtray?" she said as she took out a cigarette butt. Willow looked thoughtful. Buffy, Angel, and Liam knew. Spike.

"I'm going to kill him." Angel said and turned to leave. Liam and Buffy followed. Buffy was going to go with him to play a round of Beat The Spike, but Liam had other plans.

"No. No you're not." Liam said and blocked Angel's way to the sewers.

"Get out of our way Liam." Buffy said angrily. "She didn't need to know that way. Spike made it worst."

"Did you tell Spike about Dawn?"

"NO! Of course not."

"Well then why go kill him. Dawn was planning on finding out herself anyway. Spike probably just went along to keep her safe. If he told her to go back into the house, she probably snuck out without anyone knowing. Spike's not at fault here. We are."

"What?" Angle asked surprised.

"We should have told her. We shouldn't have kept it this long. She should have known long ago." Buffy and Angel knew that he was right. Buffy hated how Angel was usually right about things and Angel was now seeing her point. "We go back up and find out about the key. We let Dawn know about herself. And we try to get her to understand that she is human and that she is family." They just stood there.

"Fine" Buffy said. "But if Spike does something like this again, we will kill him."

"I'll probably stop you before you do." They went back up to the shop.

….

Buffy, Angel, and Liam came home later that night to check on Dawn. Joyce ushered them to the living to talk to them.

"We can't just let her sit up there all alone." Joyce said.

"She needs time." Buffy said. "We can't force her to be all right with this."

"That's your answer? Just ... leave her alone and hope that everything works itself out?"

"No, but if I were her, I'd want a little bit of time right now. I wouldn't want my mother and my sister coming at me from all sides."

"Her school called today. She was suspended."

"Not surprised" Angel said.

"She yelled at a teacher. The things she said, Buffy, I mean she never used language like that." Liam scoffed.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"Just that, where do you think I learned my potty mouth from."

"She probably feels like she can say or do anything right now. She's not real. We're not her family, we don't even know what she is." Joyce jumped up, staring at Buffy in horror.

"How can you talk about Dawn as if she's a thing?"

"I'm not! I'm just ... saying that's probably how she feels."

"Well, then we have to show her that it isn't true. She needs to know that she's still a part of this family and that we love her."

"It's not that simple!" Liam said. "We're not gonna be able to fix this with a hug and a kiss and a bowl of soup! Dawn needs to know where she came from, she needs real answers."

"What she needs is her sister." She looked to Buffy. "She doesn't need the slayer."

"The Slayer is the only thing standing between Dawn ... and this god from the bitch dimension that wants to shove her in some kind of lock and give her a good twirl." Buffy said. "Mom, I need to be out there, doing my job…"

"Smoke." Both Angel and Liam said at the same time. The fire alarm went off. The both of them ran upstairs with Buffy and Joyce following. Liam kicked down Dawn's door, rushing in followed by the rest. The wastebasket on fire. Buffy grabbed a blanket from the bed and tossed it over the flames to put them out.

"Dawn!" she said.

"Mom" Liam said.

"She could have burned down the house."

"Buffy." Joyce said looking in the direction that Angel and Liam were staring at.

"Buffy ... she's gone." Angel said. Buffy looks in their direction. The window was open.

…

Ebveryone gathered at the magic shop to discuss plans to find Dawn.

"She tore up her room ... she burned all of her diaries." Buffy explained sitting in a chair.

"The _Dawnmeister Chronicles_?" Xander said sitting across from her.

"She's been keeping those since ..." Willow began but paused, looking confused. "I mean..."

"Since she was seven." Buffy said. "I remember too, Will. We have to find her. Fast. Before Glory or the knights of hack-n-slash figure out what – 'who' she really is. Mom's gonna stay at home in case she shows up. I figure we split up and sweep the city." She stood up. "Anya. Will you stay here in case she shows up? Xander, Giles, you guys take the center of town. Willow, Tara, west side. Spike, and Laim get the east side. Angel and I will check demon hotspots. Just find her ... please." She said the last part softly.

….

Liam and Spike were walking through a playground.

"Dawn! Dawn!" Liam called.

"Yeah, that should do it." Spike said.

"Shut up."

"The nibblet scampered off to get away from you all. She hears you bellowing, she's gonna pack it in the opposite direction. Can't say I blame her."

"Hey, you were the one to help find out like this. If you hadn't maybe she wouldn't have run."

"Look, she probably would have skipped off anyway, even if she never found out. She's not just a blob of energy, she's also a fourteen-year-old hormone bomb. Which one's screwing her up more right now, spin the bloody wheel." Liam sighed knowing Spike was right. "You'll find her, just in the nick of time, that's what you hero types do."

"We heroes." LAim corrected. "You're part of it too."

"Yeah, whatever." Spike shrugged. They continued walking.

…..

Everyone met up at agraveyard. No one found her.

"We looked, but no Dawn." Willow said.

"What about the carousel?" Buffy suggested.

"Checked there too." Tara said.

"Nothing?" She asked Giles.

"Sorry, Buff." Xander replied. She turned to Liam.

"What about your….special trick?" She asked about his glasses.

"No trace to follow." Liam responded.

"Anything could have happened to her. Not just Glory." After a beat. "We better check the hospital." They all walk off together.

…..

They all entered the hospital a little while later. Buffy checked the front desk.

"She wasn't brought in." Buffy said to the gang.

"Which is a happy thing, right?" Xander said.

"No" Liam said. "It means she's still out there not safe." A doctor went by, leading a bunch of security guards.

"Found him on the floor in the break room." The doctor explained. "You guys gotta see him. His head's almost twisted clean off." Everybody stared after them.

"Glory." Buffy said.

…

Dawn was leaning against a wall while Glory sat on the exam table.

"So this ... key thing ... it's been around for a long time?" Dawn asked.

"Well, not as long as me, but ... yeah. Just this side of forever." Glory responded.

"Is it evil?"

"Totally!" Dawn gave a little gasp of dismay. Glory laughed. "Well, no, not really. I guess it depends on your point of view."

"What's it for? I mean ... if it's a key, there's gotta be a lock, right?"

"Yes. We have a winner."

"S-so what does it open?" Glory sighed.

"I smell a fox in my hen house." She started getting annoyed. "Is that why you've been playing sugar and spice with old Uncle Ben?" She gets down from the table. "Trying to get a peek at Glory's unmentionables?"

"No, I…"

"Shh! I kinda wanna hear me talking right now. Me talking. You know what I'm starting to think? I'm thinking ... that maybe you ... don't have any idea where my key is." Glory spun around and started speaking faster. "Very irritating. Irrational. Know what I mean, tiny snapdragon? Like…." She banged her elbows down on the table, leaned over and rubbed her forehead, scowling as if she had a headache. "...bugs under my skin. And say, I'm feelin' a little..."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Hey." She sighed and smiled and straightened up. "Hey! This doesn't have to be a complete waste of my precious time." She turned and walked back towards Dawn. "I've been meaning to send the Slayer a message. And I could use a little pick-me-up. Two birds, one stone, and" She clapped her hands in front of Dawn's nose. "Boom. You have yummy dead birds." The door burst open and Buffy entered, followed by the others.

"Get away from my sister." She ordered.

"Hey, we were just talking about you." Dawn ran over behind Buffy.

"Conversation's over, hell-bitch." Buffy punched Glory with a right, then a left, then ducked a punch, and kicked Glory. They grappled with each other. Buffy spun Glory around and slammed her into a display case. Glory kicked Buffy away. She punched Buffy. Spike came up behind Glory and grabbed her, pinning her arms against her sides. She struggled. Buffy punched Glory in the face while Spike held her.

"I thought you said this skank was tough." Spike said. Glory broke free, grabbed Spike's arm and flipped him over, throwing him against a wall. She picked him up, head-butted him as Xander moved around behind them, holding a tire iron. Glory threw Spike and he slid across the exam table, crushing a bunch of medical equipment. He fell off the other side, landed against the wall unconscious. Buffy watched looking concerned.

"He wakes up, tell your boyfriend to watch his mouth." Glory said. Buffy got up in Glory's face, glaring.

"He is NOT my boyfriend." Buffy said sternly.

"That would be me." Angel said and began punching Glory. Giles tried to aim the crossbow, but Angel was between him and Glory. Angel tried to kick but Glory grabs his foot and pushed Angel away.

"Giles, now!" Buffy said. Giles fired the crossbow. The arrow bounced off Glory's stomach. She looked annoyed.

"Oh, please. Like that's…" She stopped as she stumbled backwards as if she was punched, but no one was there. "What the hell?" She was hit again and again. She looked like she kicked in the stomach and then hit in the face again.

"I didn't know that Glory was good at miming." Xander said. Glory kept on getting beat up by nothing. Then Buffy saw it. She could barely make out the outline that was Liam in hid camo suit. He kicked Glory in the stomach again and grabbed a fist full of her hair. He took out his axe and cut the hair off. Glory suddenly looked towards the direction of the floating axe and hair, looking angry.

"That…was….my….HAIR!" she screamed.

"Sorry" came Liam's voice. "Want it back?" he threw the fistful of hair in Glory's face and swung. She barely dodged it and kicked in the direction she assumed was Liam's body. She hit home. Liam went flying back into the wall making a dent and slid to the floor. There were shots of electricity coming from Liam and he suddenly came into view. He was groaning and smoking a little. Xander came up behind Glory and hit her over the head with the tire iron.

"Hey!" she said grabbing the tire iron and Xander. "What did I just do to him for messing with my hair?" She flung Xander away. He flew back into Giles and they both crashed into the x-ray display screens, which exploded, showering sparks over them and Dawn in her hiding place by the trash can. Dawn shrieked and covered her head. Glory pointed the tire iron at each of them. "Time to start the dyin'. Start with the whelp!" Glory threw the tire iron like a javelin at Dawn.

"Dawn!" Buffy yelled and threw herself into the tire iron's path, letting it stab her in the upper chest as she fell to the ground. Dawn began to crawl out toward her.

"Buffy!" both Dawn and Angel yelled.

"Get back!"

"Nice catch." Glory said making her way over. "Is that the best you little crap-gnats can muster?" Buffy pulled the tire iron out of herself with a grimace of pain. "'Cause I gotta tell ya, so not impressed." Glory walked in between Tara and Willow. They each threw a handful of glittery powder over her. It fluttered down on her, covering her hair and body. "Look what you did to my dress, you little…"

"_Discede_!" Willow said and clapped her hands. Glory exploded into a cloud of dust and disappeared. Willow fell to the floor.

"Willow!" Tara said and rushed over to her. Angel went to check on Liam.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Not Angelus." Liam replied. "If that tells you anything." He looked at the data pad he had on this arm. It short secreted and went out. "So much for invisibility. Bitch hit me so hard, she destroyed my cloaking system." Angel helped him up. Buffy stared and turned to Dawn.

"Dawn." She said and pulled Dawn over and hugged her. She looked back at Willow and Tara. "What did you do to her?" Willow was panting and had a nose bleed.

"Teleportation spell." She said. "Still working out the kinks."

"Where'd you send her?" Liam asked helping her up.

"Don't know. That's one of the kinks."

"That was an incredibly ... dangerous spell for an adept at your level." Giles said.

"Yep." Willow said in a daze. "Won't be trying that one again soon." Spike was sitting up, looking annoyed. Liam went over to him.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah" Spike answered. "Just wished I lasted longer."

"Never underestimate your opponent." Liam said helping Spike up. Buffy looked back to Dawn.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "Did she hurt you?"

"Why do you care?" Dawn retorted.

"Because I love you. You're my sister."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are." She lifted Dawn's hand that was bleeding. "Look, it's blood. It's Summers blood." She presses her hand against the tire-iron wound on her shoulder, wincing a little. She clasped her bloody hand in Dawn's bloody hand. "It's just like mine. It doesn't matter where you came from, or, or how you got here. You are my sister. There's no way you could annoy me so much if you weren't." Dawn looked at her for a moment, then hugged her tightly. They both got teary-eyed.

"I was so scared." Dawn said.

"Me too." They pulled out of the hug. "Come on." They stood up.

"Wait." Dawn said. "Ben. He was here, he was trying to help me. He... I ... I think he might have left before Glory came ... I can't, I can't remember."

"It's okay." Buffy said taking her hand. "Don't worry about it. Next time we see him, we'll thank him. I have to get you back home though. Mom's freaking out." Dawns eyes widened.

"Oh. Is she mad about the whole fire thing?"

"I think you sorta have a get-out-of-jail-free card on account of big love and trauma."

"Really? Okay. Good." They started to walk out, holding hands. "You think she'd raise my allowance?"

"Don't push it."

**End of chapter. Liam loves Dawn like she was his sister. Liam yells at Dawn. Dawn knows she's the key. Canon from here for like the next few chapters. Big Liam flashback centric chapter coming up. Stay tuned.**


	20. Crush

Chapter 20: Crush

**Drusilla is back. Does Liam keep his promise? Find out. Angel does something that no one has ever seen happen before. Buffy finds out something form Liam that shocks her into the seat with the taped body. Read to find out. Enjoy.**

Every one of the couples in the Scooby Gang were gathered at the Bronze. Willow and Tara, Xander and Anya, were on the dance floor dancing. After some persuasion, meaning no sex for a month, Angel relented and did his best to dance with Buffy. He was better than he originally thought, but still had to be led by Buffy for a bit. It was ok by him. They were sitting down with drinks and food, talking.

"I'll admit," Angel said, "It's nice to just have a night without slaying and demon hunting."

"And you didn't want to come." Buffy teased.

"I'm an idiot, you're very wise" Angel said playfully.

"I know." Buffy giggled. Angel smiled and kissed her.

"Bleedin' crime, is what it is." They heard a voice and broke apart. They looked up as Spike and Liam sat down. Spike looked annoyed, Liam just looked solem.

"What is it?" Buffy asked.

"Jackin' up the bar price to pay for fixin' up this sinkhole. Not my fault insurance doesn't cover act of troll."

"Gee, maybe it's time you found a new place to patronize." Angel said.

"I've half a mind to! Especially since the flowering onion got remodeled off the sodding menu. It's the only thing this place had going for it."

"But there is no other place in this town. "Liam explained. Spike realized this.

"Oh yeah. So how's it goin?" he asked Angel.

"What are you doing?" Angel asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Here, siting with us. Talking to us like we're friends."

"Well, we are family peaches. And your son wants we here." He said smugly. Angel looked to Liam.

"I like him." Liam said. "And plus, people were having fun without us. So I invited him to come along."

"Wow, Spike." Angel said. "Someone of the group actually wants you here."

"Hey." Spike frowned. "You don't have to be so hostile. We took on that Glory chippie together, I was right there with you, fightin' the fight."

"Actually, you were sleeping the sleep of the knocked unconscious." Buffy pointed out. Liam bowed his head. This is not how he wanted this night to go.  
"Still, points for intent. You'd think that would be enough to cut me a sliver of slack. Earn a little consideration, respect."

"Hey, uh, Evil Dead, you're in my seat." Xander said coming over with Anya standing behind Spike. Spike turned his head to look at them, and sighed.

"What were you saying about respect?" Angel smirked. Spike got up and left. Liam bowed his head again and sighed loudly. Then he got up and followed Spike. Willow and Tara came over and sat down.

"So, who's up for some more liquid refreshments?" Xander said. "I'm buying, for I am payday man."

"I could use a water." Willow said opening a bottle of aspirin.

"Water poses no challenge for payday man." He left to get the refreshments. Buffy looked at Tara comforting Willow.

"Poor Will." Buffy said. "Still getting those headaches?"

"Fewer and further between, but...yep, they're still exercising their visitation rights." Willow said.

"Honey, in case you didn't hear me the first six thousand times, no more teleportation spells." Tara said.

"Well, it's just we have squat in the way of Glory-fighting arsenal, and ... another run-in with her and my headaches and nosebleeds are gonna be the least of our problems."

"You know what?" Buffy said. "This is the first R-'n'-R I've had in weeks. How about we go one night without saying the name Glory." Everyone nodded.

"Let's just call "she who will not be named" another name." Angel offered.

"Like what?" Buffy asked.

"Buffy, Angel." Liam said coming over to them.

"For example." Tara said.

"Can I talk to you guys in private." Liam asked his parents, not paying attention to Tara's comment.

"Sure" Buffy said. "Be right back." The got up and followed Liam over to the bar. Liam sat down and his parents sat on either side of him. "So what's up?"

"Do you guys have to be so hard on Spike?" Liam asked. Angel and Buffy gave confused looks.

"What do you mean?" Angel asked.

"Spike came over and tried to start a conversation with you guys. You just insult him and nod him off."

"So?" Buffy asked. Liam sighed again and took his glasses off.

"Did it ever occur to you guys that maybe Spike just wants to be part of the family?" They were surprised at his statement.

"Spike wants to be part of the family?" Angel asked.

"Yeah. I showed him his future and he wants it. He wants to have that feeling that he craved when he was in the Whirlwind."

"Which is?"

"Acceptance. All he wants is for you to accept him dad. He wants you to approve of him. He wants you two to be like the brothers you're going to be in the future." Angel looked confused and surprised. "He's always talking about how he's transforming to our side….except as far as I know, he's still going out with Harmony." This got a laugh from both of his parents. "But he wants you both to think of him as someone you can trust, not someone who should be beaten senseless. If it wasn't for him wanting to take care of me after you both died, I wouldn't be here helping you guys. Believe it or not, Spike was the one that got me and Kathy out of our angry states after dad's death and got us to fight the good fight with the gang." Buffy and Angel took this in. If it wasn't for Spike in the future, Liam wouldn't be here. He wouldn't be the man that they loved. "Look, if you guys aren't willing to accept that Spike wants to be with us, why am I wasting my breath?" Liam put his glasses on and left in humph.

"Liam wait!" Buffy called but Liam didn't reply back. He just left the Bronze.

….

Buffy, Willow, and Tara were walking along the hallways at the campus coming out of class.

"I just don't see why he couldn't end up with Esmerelda." Willow said. "They could have the wedding right there. Beneath the very bell-tower where he labored thanklessly for all those years."

"No," Tara said. "See, it can't, it can't end like that, 'cause all of Quasimodo's actions were selfishly motivated. He had no moral compass, no understanding of right. Everything he did, he did out of love for a woman who would never be able to love him back. Also, you can tell it's not gonna have a happy ending when the main guy's all bumpy." They came to a vending machine and stopped walking. Tara digged in her purse. Willow looked in hers as well. Willow took some money out of her purse and handed it to Tara, who smiled and turned to the vending machine.

"What did you think, Buffy?" Willow asked her.

"The test isn't till tomorrow, right?" Buffy said and shrugged. "I don't have an opinion till then."

"But, you read it, right?" Tara asked.

"Kinda not. I rented the movie."

"Oh, with, um, with Charles Laughton?" Tara asked taking the snack out of the vending machine.

"I don't know. Was he one of the singing gargoyles?"

"Oh boy." Willow said. They all began to walk again.

"What, I, I'm kidding!" Buffy noticed a guy reading a newspaper and grabbed it from him. "You're done with this?" the guy protested. Buffy starred at the front page.

"'Six found murdered on train at Sunnydale Station.'" Buffy read.

"Glory?" Buffy shook her head.

"'Unconfirmed reports of severe trauma to the throats of one or more of the victims.'" She kept reading and lowered the paper. "Survey says ... vampire."

…

Buffy decided to investigate the train murders. Since it was still daylight, Angel couldn't come. Instead she went the mansion and got Liam to come. They got to the train station and Liam used his fake FBI ID to get past the police and get some questions answered about the murders. Buffy went to the train and removed the yellow police tape stretched across the doorway. She went aboard the train. Inside the train, there was tape on the seats marking where the victims were found. Buffy looked around as Liam came aboard.

"Nobody seems to know anything" Liam said. "What have you found?"

"Well it definitely doesn't look like Glory did this." Buffy answered. "She leaves her victims insane. This has vampire written all over it. Now we just need to know how many we're talking about."

"Think maybe you're right." They started looking around. Buffy stopped and turned to Liam.

"I'm," she began. This got Liam's attention and he faced her. "I'm sorry about last night at the Bronze and Spike."

"No need." He said and went back to looking. "You were just following your fiancé and not caring a bit of attention at anybody else's feelings."

"That was cold." She said sternly.

"Good." He said facing her. "Means I'm making my point."

"Look you can't expect me to accept Spike for who he is because you say he's changed in the future. I haven't experienced that. I'm still getting over him nearly killing us all the time."

"He's helped you for over a year now." He yelled.

"He tried to kill me and Riley several months ago."

"But he's helped since then. I think that's enough time to get over it."

"Look, he maybe all for the good fight in your time, but he's still a vampire."

"So is dad."

"He's got a soul."

"So does Spike." He yelled before he could stop himself. Buffy's eyes grew wide. So did Liam. He realized what he just said. They stayed staring at each other for what seemed like hours.

"What?" Buffy breathed after a minute. Liam looked down and licked his lips trying to figure out what to say next.

"Yeah." He finally said. "Spike gets his soul in the next couple of years. His chip comes out after that and he fights the good fight same as dad." Buffy just stood still wide eyed. Spike would get his soul. He would fight with them like Angel.

"How did he get it?" She asked.

"The way I heard, he fought for it." Buffy was stunned. "Back when he was in love with you, he…..he did something that he regretted so much that he went off to Africa and went through some trials and got his soul. For you."

"Spike got his soul….for me?"

"Yeah. A demon went and got his soul for a woman he loved." Buffy sat on a seat, right inside the tape outline of a corpse.

"He got his soul for me."

"Mom." Liam went over and kneeled down to Buffy. "I know it's a lot to take in. I know I'm saying that a lot about what I tell you. But you can't tell anyone. Not even Spike. He can't do it because it happens. He has to do it on his own. He has to want his soul for himself." Buffy took it all and nodded.

"If Spike got his soul because he loved me, how is he going to get it when we aren't together now or ever?" Liam took in a breath.

"If I can, it'll be for his future wife. Maybe if I can, I'll stop him from doing what tried to do to you from doing it to her."

"Which is what?" Liam just stared.

"I can't say." Buffy sighed. She hate it when her son would tell her something and when she wanted more information, he would blow her off. Liam took her hand. "All I can tell you is that Spike does become a real good guy. All I'm asking is for you and dad to accept him now." Buffy stared at her son the nodded.

"Ok, I'll talk to your father and we'll work on accepting him."

"Thank you. But you can't tell dad about Spike's soul either."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to have to deal with a twelve year old Angel complaining about how being a soulful is his thing."

"He actually did that?"

"Yeah." Buffy giggled. Liam smiled. "Now that that's taken care of, can we get back to searching for clues?" he asked getting up.

"Yes we can." Buffy answered getting up out of the seat. They went back to searching the train. "I don't think anything is here."

"Maybe" Liam went to search the cargo compartment in the ceiling of the train car. "Hang on, there's something here. Liam pulled out an antique doll with a red blindfold tied around its eyes. He stared at it in shock.

"So some poor little girl had her doll on the train when she died." Buffy said. "It's sad, yeah, but I don't think it helps us." The doll dropped out of Liam s hands and the porcelain head shattered as it hit the floor.

"I warned her." Liam whispered. "I warned her." He said louder and turned and left he car.

"Liam wait." Buffy went after him. He ran all the way to his car and got in through the window. Buffy caught up to him at the window. "Liam what's going on?"

"Go to dad. Tell him what's going on." He said as he started up the engine.

"I don't know what's going on that's why I'm asking you."

"Big Sis is back." Liam said and drove off. Leaving Buffy standing there wide eyed. She knew who he meant when he said 'Big Sis'. Drusilla.

…

Liam drove all the way through town and to the graveyard. He got out and started running again. He reached Spike's crypt and burst through the door.

"Drusilla." He shouted. Spike was watching TV and was startled at Liam's entrance.

"Um…No" Spike said composing himself. "Spike, remember? Dru's…."

"Here" Liam finished.

"What?"

"Drusilla's here. She killed six people on a train into town."

"Why would she come back to Sunnyhell? What's so important here that she would come back?"

"One guess."

"Me? Oh god no. She'd never come back to me."

"Got a better idea?"

….

"Buffy ran back to her house and burst through the front door, startling all of the family, including Angel.

"Buffy" he said. "What's wrong? Are you ok?"

"Drusilla's back." She said. Angel stood in shock. "She's back in town and committed those murders."

"Why would she come back?"

"Maybe because a certain someone threatened her and she's decided to play a little game with him."

"Liam?'

"My guess."

….

Spike was going through some of the weapons he had stored. He perked up when he sensed someone was in the crypt with him.

"Who's there?" he said looking around.

"A happy memory, pretty Spike." Came a voice from the shadows behind him. He turned around. Drusilla walked out from the shadows, holding a red rose. "Look who's come to make everything right again." Spike stared at her, astonished.

"Hello Drusilla." He said looking the woman he used to be so in love with. "Long time no see."

"I knew you'd be here." Drusilla said, walking toward him. "I knew you'd go back to find the Slayer."

"Is that so?" Spike said. "And why did you come all this way to find me here?" She walked up close to him and put her mouth next to his ear.

"Come back with me." She whispered and looked at him.

"It's tempting, Dru." Spike said. "But I don't know if you heard, I can't hurt people anymore. I've got the bloody chip in my head."

"Poor boy." She put her hands to her head. "Tin soldiers put funny little knick-knacks in your brain. Can't hunt! Can't hurt! Can't kill! You've got a chip."

"Right, so you've heard. Poor Spike's become a cautionary tale for vampires, right? 'You better be good, kiddies, or else they might wire you up someday!'" he got angry and kicked something across the room.

"I don't believe in science. All those bits and molecules no one's ever seen. I trust eyes and heart alone. And do you know what mine is singing out right now?" She took Spike's hand and put it over her heart. He stared at her. You're a killer. Born to slash ... and bash ... and... oh, bleed like beautiful poetry." Drusilla started to breathe fast getting excited. They turned in a circle, still with Spike's hand on her chest. "No little tinker-toy could ever stop you from flowing."

"Yeah." Spike whispered. He shook his head and removed his hand from her. "But the pain ... love, you don't understand, it's ... it's searing. It's, um, blinding." She put her hand on the top of his head and pulled it down toward her. "All in your head. I can see it. Little bit of ... plastic, spiderwebbing out nasty blue shocks. And every one is a lie. Electricity lies, Spike. It tells you you're not a bad dog, but you are."

"I don't know, Drusilla." Spike sighed, pulling away from her.

"I know what's really stopping you." Drusilla said. "It's not the chip."

"If you say the Slayer," Spike began, but Drusilla cut him off.

"Not the Slayer." She said.

"You think Angel is keeping me from going with you."

"No the Angel beats." She said. She leaned forward and whispered into his ear, "My baby brother."

"Liam?"

"He's playing with your mind." Drusilla said. "Making you think you belong here. But you don't, Spike. You belong with me. I know what you have to do."

"And what is that?"

"Fix the problem. Pull the weeds. Kill baby brother." She smiled. "I can help you."

Spike grinned at her. "You know what, Dru? I think you just made sense." She ran her hand around behind his head and then across his face, taking his chin and lifted it to look at her. Spike growled. They gaze into each other's eyes.

"What the heck is this?" Harmony came in a saw Spike with Drusilla.

"Oh, bloody hell." Harmony came over to them.

"Who is," she said. "Oh, wait. I get it. Our little sex game was just the beginning. Now you've gone and picked up some cheap queen of the damned to dress up like your precious Drood-zilla."

"Harm."

"You'd better not be thinking what I think you're thinking. 'Cause my answer is the same as always. No threesomes unless it's boy, boy, girl. Or Charlize Theron."

"Harm, you moron, this 'is' Drusilla."

"Oh. Well," she walked toward Drusilla. "You've got some nerve showing up here like this. After all this time. After breaking my sweet boo-boo's heart." Drusilla looked over Harmony's shoulder at Spike and mouths the word 'boo-boo.' Spike shrugs. "Do you have any idea how hard it's been to break down the walls he put up after you left? I mean, 'serious' trust issues.

"Harm..."

"So it's no use you crawling back to him, 'cause Spikey don't play that game anymore, Morticia." Drusilla put up a hand as if to block out the sight of Harmony. Harmony turned back to Spike and he grabbed her by the throat. He still looked at Drusilla.

"It's been fun while it lasted, Harm, but I think it'd be best now if you hit the road." He threw Harmony across the room. She hit the wall and slid down to the floor, clutching her throat and panting.

"Why? Because she's back?"

"No. Because I am." Drusilla smiled. Harmony got to her feet. Spike put his arm around Drusilla's waist and pulled her up against him.

"And there you are, my darling, deadly boy." She said

…

Spike was at Buffy's house and was talking to Joyce and Dawn.

"But what they didn't get was, that it was a copy of the bill of lading..." Joyce was explaining a funny story. "...so they thought that it was another order form, so now I've got two shipments of Greek amphorae on my hands!" All three laugh at the conclusion of Joyce's story.

"That's funny." Spike said. "And really, how many do you need, amphorae?" They all laughed more. Angel, Buffy, and Liam came home after trying to find Drusilla, but with no luck. They all heard the laughing and entered the kitchen.

"What's going on here?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, Buffy." Joyce was still giggling. Spike came by looking for you three and he decided to wait a while, then I got talking about the gallery. See, there was this…"

"Oh, don't get us all laughing again, Joyce." Spike said. "Anyhow, I really need to talk to your grandchild. Something important."

"What about?" Liam asked. Spike lead into the living room to talk privately while Joyce retold her story to Buffy and Angel.

"I got a bit of info you might be keen on knowin'."

"Drusilla?"

"Yeah, I got a bead on where she might be."

"What's the plan then?" Liam asked. Spike smiled smugly.

….

Spike and Liam were sitting in a car watching a warehouse. They had been sitting there for Liam didn't know how long. Spike reached over and opened the glove compartment and took out a flask. He took a swig and then offered him the flask.

"Contents?" Liam aksed.

"It's not blood, it's bourbon." Spike said.

"I don't drink."

"Suit yourself." He put the flask back and sat back and sighed. Liam looked around the trash filled car.

"This is your car right?"

"Yeah."

"Do you ever clean it?"

"Hey it's a car. I barely spend time here."

"I have a car. I keep as clean as a pin."

"Good on you." Spike looked back at the warehouse. Liam sighed.

"How much long…"

"Shh!" Spike interrupted him. They both look out the front window. Two figures walked across the street. Two male vamps were going up to a door, opening it and entering the warehouse.

"That's not Drusilla."

"It's her new gang she's forming." Liam looked at Spike suspiciously. Spike Got out of the car and Liam followed. Inside the warehouse two vamps were sitting on a sofa. One was making popcorn over a small lantern. The other was looking through a pile of CDs. Liam and Spike entered.

"Spike!" one shouted. The two vamps turned and rua away.

"Well, that was just….sad. I'm embarrassed for our kind." Liam looked around. "So. Should we chase after 'em, then? They couldn't have gone far. They might lead us back to Dru."

"This nest has been here for months." He said. "Drusilla's only been here a day. This gets us nowhere." He turned to Spike. "Got any more ideas about Dru?"

"just one." Spike said with a grin. Drusilla walked out from the shadows behind Liam with a tazer. Liam was zapped by it and fell to the floor with a grunt. Spike grins.

"Time for your nap." She said.

…..

When Liam woke up, the first thing that he noticed was that he was that he was tied up, hanging from a ceiling. The second thing he noticed was that his head really hurt. The third thing he noticed was Spike and Drusilla watching him.

"There he is." Spike said.

"Spike." Liam said. "Why? I thought you'd changed. I though you wanted the future you were going to have?" Spike laughed.

"You know, the sad thing is I almost thought that too. Until Drusilla here showed up and opened my eyes to what's really been going on. The problem's not me, Liam, it's you. You've been trying to control me. Control my fate with your knowledge and lies. But it's going to end. Now."

"I trusted you, you rotten cocksucker" Liam said through gritted teeth. "I loved you. You were my uncle, my savior. You were my family, Spike."

"Well, thanks for the incredibly boring family speech, but I like to get back together with my true family." Spike went over and put an arm around Drusilla. "I don't have a soul, like you. This is what I do!"

"Hello baby brother." Drusilla said walking over. She grabbed Liam's chin with her hand and Liam jerked away. Drusilla hit Liam across the face forcing him to scream in pain. "Bad baby brother."

"Hello Dru." Liam said composing himself. "I see you didn't heed my warning. See you're still insane, and right now you still have power over Spike."

"You didn't tell me stay out of the big bad town. Only daddy's town. And I'm not controlling him. He wanted to do this. Spike is going to kill you, brother, and nobody will hear you scream to save you. You walked right into the trap."

"Maybe or maybe it's my trap you walked into." Drusilla looked confused.

"Actually it's my trap." Spike said. "I'm the one who came up with it."

"Good point." Came a voice from the entrance ladder. Drusilla turned and saw Buffy and Angel looking at her. Each holding a crossbow.

"This was his plan." Buffy said stepping forward. Spike untied Liam and gave him back his equipment. Drusilla looked at him.

"Not nice to change the game in mid-play, Spike. You've taken my chair and the music hasn't stopped." She said.

"Sorry, pet." Spike said. "My house, my rules. I told Laim first about your plans to kill him and my plan to trap you. Then we told Angel and Buffy. I promised I'd lead them right to you. Whe nLiam was shocked, they came here and hid."

"I think I shall be very cross with you when I'm free again."

"Not gonna happen sis." Liam said twirling his axe. Drusilla looked around and saw she was pinned in four directions. She looked to Spike with a pleading look.

"Spike, please." She said.

"Sorry luv. But Liam's right. This is my family. Angel my brother, Buffy my soon to be sister, and Liam…"he looked to Liam. "My nephew and savior." Spike suddenly stopped talking and spun around. He fell over as he was hit by an arrow in the back. Everyone looked in the direction of where the arrow came from and they saw Harmony standing by the entrance with a crossbow. "Oh, great." Spike said looking at her

"What about me, Spike?" Harmony said. "You forget about me again? The Girlfriend?" Everyone had on a confused expression. "I gave you the best ... bunch of months of my life!"

"This wasn't part of the plan." Angel said just before Drusilla punched him square in the jaw and kicked Buffy.

"Me and Angel have Dru" Spike said to Liam getting the arrow out. "You and your mum have Harm."

"On it" Liam replied and lunged at harmony. Spike and Angel grabbed Drusilla and threw her against the wall. She vamped out and attacked Angel. Liam was fighting Harmony. She kneed him in the groin, slapped him, but he ducks another swing. He kneed her in the stomach and threw her to the floor. Buffy got up and ran at Harmony who kicked Liam away. Buffy lunged got on top of Harmony, pinning her down.

"Ow, you're on my hair!" Harmony complained.

"But you say that a lot." Buffy retorted. They rolled. Liam looked upon it with aw.

"Cat fight." He said.

Drusilla picked up a 2x4 and hits Angel with it a few times, grinning. Spike came up behind her and grabbed her. She twisted in his grip and smacked him in the face, sending him stumbling backwards and giving him the opportunity to pull away from him. Spike stood up and looked at her.

"You can't stop me, Spike." She said smiling evilly at him. Suddenly Harmony came flying across the room and crashed into Drusilla, sending them both into the wall. Spike blinked, surprised. Buffy and Liam appeared next to him.

"Wow, that was really funny!" Liam laughed. Buffy laughed with him. Angel walked up to the group and they all looked upon the two female vampires getting up. Liam looked at Drusilla and moved towards her. He threw Harmony out of the way and grabbed Drusilla by the throat and pinned her against the wall. He raised his right arm and a stake protruded from it.

"Are you going to kill me, baby brother?" she asked, almost looking afraid.

"I'm going to keep my promise to you Dru." He said. He was about to plunge the stake in but Spike grabbed a hold of his arm, preventing him from doing so.

"I can't let you do it." Spike said. Liam looked to Spike.

"Spike, you don't know what this woman did to me in the future." He looked Back to Drusilla with fire in his eyes. "You know what she's capable of and she deserves to die for what she'll do to me. I will save a lot of people in the future by killing this one vampire."

"Maybe that's true. But I can't let you."

"Spike." Angel said stepping forward. "She will bring forth Angelus. I'll torture my children."

"Did 'em some good after seeing what your son's done."

"Spike." Buffy said. "Drusilla will do a lot of damage if we don't end it now."

"I now. But she's my sister. How can I forget that." Spike was getting frustrated. He looked back to Liam who still had the stake protruding from his wrist, pointing at Drusilla's heart. "You said it yourself last time you met. You couldn't kill her because she reminded you of your sister. She's your sister." Liam took this in. Drusilla was his sister. But she did a lot of evil in the past and will do a lot more in the future. She would cause Angelus to torture him and Kathy. "Please don't." Spike said. Liam looked to Drusilla with anger. Drusilla looked scared.

"Fine" he said and the stake went back into Liam's wrist and he let go of Drusilla. Spike stepped forward and grabbed Drusilla by the shoulder.

"Dru. I let you live today. Remember that. Now leave, and never come back to Sunnydale or LA. If we do cross paths again, I'm sorry to say that we will have no choice but to kill you." He let go of her amnd Drusilla started walking slowly towards the exit looking sad.

"Poor Spike." She said. "No one can help you now. No one."

"Who says I need help." He said back. She looked even more hurt and walked out. The four watched her go.

"Oh Spikey." They all turned to Harmony who they forgot was still in there. "And you can say good-bye to this" She pointed at her butt. "because you're not gonna see it any more ever." She thought about it for a second. "Unless you run into me somewhere and it's me walking away from you." She started to leave, but stopped and turned back, putting hands on her hips. "But even then ... I'll probably just ... you know ... back away."

"Harmony" Liam said.

"Yeah" she answered. Liam grabbed a discarded stake and threw it at Harmony and hit home.

"Catch" he said. She immediately turned to dust.

"I have been wanting to do that for a long time." Buffy said

"You and me both." Spike said.

…..

Buffy, Angel, Liam, Spike, Joyce, and Dawn were in the kitchen at the house. Buffy, Angel, Liam, and Spike were talking about what had happened with Drusilla. All four of them were laughing a lot.

"And then," Spike said, calming down, "Buffy and Angel come in holding crossbows at Dru."

"The look on Dru's face was priceless." Angel said, laughing again.

"And then," Buffy broke in, also laughing, "Harmony bursts in…oh man, she surprised all of us."

"So the fight breaks out." Liam continued for her. "Dad was knocked down by Dru and Spike goes after Dru. Me and mom deal with Harmony and mom had her pinned on the ground. She says to her, 'Ow, you're on my hair' and mom goes 'I bet you say that a lot'." They laughed some more. "Then they go rolling all over the place and I say to myself 'Cat fight'." They laughed even more.

"So" Spike continued. I'm waiting on Dru to disembowel me, when suddenly Buffy picks up Harmony, and…" he broke off, laughing,

"And she throws her across the room, knocking her into Dru." Liam finished. They all dissolved into laughter again. Buffy held her side. Liam had tears coming out of his eyes. "I….I have seen a lot of funny things but that…..that was one of the best ever."

"You should have seen the look on your face." Buffy said.

"It was hilarious." Angel said. "Sorry about Harmony, Spike."

"Oh, don't be." Spike said dismissively. "To be honest, I'd kind of forgotten about her. She's really such an idiot."

"You didn't have to go to school with her." Buffy said. "Try being in chem. class with her. That'll kill you."

Spike and Liam laughed. Angel nodded. "Yeah, when she was trying to kill you, I had a hard time feeling threatened." He agreed. "Oh, by the way, Spike." He looked at Spike, who looked back, slightly confused. "Did you mean what you said before, about being part of the family and me being your brother and all?" Everyone turned to Spike for an answer. Spike looked down and then backup at Angel.

"Yeah." He said. "Every word. If you'll have me?" Angel nodded his head and walked up to Spike.

"Welcome to the family." He said and he did something that no one ever expected in their lives. Angel hugged Spike and Spike hugged back. Spike smiled a little.

"Thanks, Peaches." They broke apart. "But if ever hug me again, I will stake you."

"Same goes for you." They turned to the rest of the family. "What just happened never leaves this room."

"Whatever you say." Buffy said with tears in her eyes and hugged Spike too. Spike hugged her back smiling.

"Finally" Liam said and went over and hugged Spike. "Anybody else want have around with Hug The Spike?" Joyce and Dawn came over and hugged Spike as well, welcoming him into the family.

**So I had Spike be a part of the family because, while I hate Spuffy, I really like Spike in the show. Buffy knows about Spike having a soul in the future now. How do you think that'll turn out? How did you guys like the Angel and Spike hugging moment? My idea. Obviously. One more chapter until Liam/flashback centric. You'll be surprised at what I have in store for that chapter. More into Liam's past and a little into his personal life. Stay tuned.**


	21. I Was Made to Love You

Chapter 21: I was made to love you

**Robot chick pretty much. Read it, and be prepared for something about Laim I bet none of you expected. Enjoy.**

Angel was packing up his suitcases in, now, his and Buffy's room. Buffy was on the chair with her arms crossed looking at him with a scowl.

"I don't want you too." Buffy said.

"I know but I have a job." Angel explained for the umpteenth time.

"You could quit."

"Buffy" he faced her and sighed. "It's not that simple."

"Say you quit and leave" she said getting up and walking over to him. "Very simple to me."

"Buffy I have a duty. I am meant to be in LA helping the helpless. Even Liam says so."

"What does he know?" Buffy said. Angel gave her a look. "Right. Stupid question." Angel finished packing. "I just don't want you to go."

"I don't either. But I've been gone long enough. They may start thinking that you killed me. They are my friends after all."

"I know." She sat on the bed and Angel came over and sat down next to her. "It's just that we're engaged now. We're happy. We'll have children. I want that now."

"I do to." Angel put his arm around Buffy and brought her close. "But Liam told us to wait until we have dealt with Glory and are married. We can still call each other, visit each other, and we can still make wedding plans. This isn't something to cry about."

"I still don't want you to go." She snuggled in to Angel. "Makes me remember when you went off to LA and never visited."

"I visited."

"Twice. Once in the shadows and never told me. Two, you beat up Riley and came to my door to apologize for yelling at me."

"Well I liked the beating up Riley thing." He said with a grin. Buffy playfully hit him. "And I never want to leave things between us rocky."

"Me either." Angel kissed the top of her head.

"I promise to call whenever I get the chance to. And if you need me or the team to help you with Glory, remember we do take credit." He joked. Buffy laughed and hit him again. He laughed to. "We'll always be there for you Buffy. Free of charge." Buffy sat up and looked at him lovingly. He looked back.

"I love you." She said.

"I love you." He said back. They kissed and the kiss got heated. They made love that night as a reminder of their own love.

…...

Angel had left early the next morning so that he could make it back to LA before Buffy and Dawn were sitting on the couch in the Summer's living room the next day. Joyce was wearing a black evening gown with large flowers on it. She spun around as Buffy and Dawn watched.

"I might like it more than the others." Buffy said. "Can you spin around again?" Joyce spun again and Buffy smiled.

"Ooh, I'm not sure." Dawn said. "Once more." Joyce spun again and smiled at them.

"Now could you go the other way?" Joyce started to spin, stopped and looked at them.

"You're messing with me!" Joyce realized. Dawn laughed.

"We just wanted to see how many times we could get you to do it."

"Was that five, or four and a half?" Dawn asked.

"So is anyone gonna talk about my dress?" Joyce said holding out her arms.

"I like it."

"You sure? I mean, it's not too mom-ish?"

"Oh. That was why I liked it." Joyce looked disappointed.

"You're both crazy. It's not mom-ish at all." Buffy said. Joyce looked relieved. "It's sexy. It screams, 'Randy sex kitten, buy me one drink and I'll...'" She paused. "Oh, wait, that's not really good either." Dawn shook her head in agreement.

"Oh god. What time is it?" Buffy checked her watch.

"4:23. You have lots of time until seven. Vast acres of time in which you could plant crops." The front door opened and Liam came in.

"Anybody home?" he asked not aware that they were all in the living room.

"Right here sweetie." Buffy said. Liam turned and went into the living room and hugged Buffy.

"Hi mom." He looked to Dawn. "Hey Aunt Dawn."

"Hey Liam." She said back. He turned to Joyce

"Hey gran….WHOA!" his expression changed from happy to clearly shocked. He was obviously not expecting to see his own grandmother getting ready for a date.

"Oh...you like it?" Joyce asked hoping to get a boys perspective. Liam was still in awe.

"I see, I like, what they hell have you done with my grandmother?" he asked.

"That is your grandmother." Buffy pointed out.

"I know that." he said looking at her than looked back at Joyce. "I just never expected to see my own grandmother look….uh…I don't even want to finish that sentence out of pride."

"So you like the dress?" Joyce asked with a smile.

"Yeah I do. What's going on here?"

"Moms getting ready for a date tonight." Dawn said with a smile.

"Well good for you grandma." Liam said looking at her again.

"I hope you're not getting any ideas." Buffy said playfully.

"Please" Liam said looking at her. "I'm a one girl kinda guy."

"You mean you have a girlfriend?" Buffy said smiling.

"I ain't talking." Liam mimed zipping his lips. Buffy pouted then turned back to Joyce

"So you tell me about your date." She demanded. "Tell me about this Brian and what his intentions are."

"Maybe he's a gigolo." Dawn said. "Was his shirt all shiny?" She and Buffy exchange an amused look.

"No!" Joyce said. "He works for a publishing house. He's a nice normal guy, okay?"

"I think I've heard of those." Buffy said.

"He came to the gallery ... my first day back, when I was, you know, kinda shaky, starting over. And he asked a question about these antique cameos and I was so lost, because ... Carol had been doing the ordering while I was sick. Well, it turned out that he didn't know anything about them either, so we had a lot to talk about."

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Dawn asked smiling.

"Dinner and then a movie." Joyce answered with a smile. Then she frowned. "Or maybe it was ... a movie and then dinner. Which might be better, because ... you know, then we could talk about the movie. Or maybe a movie isn't a good idea at all, because, well, you know, you can't talk during, and, and then, you know, what's the point of any of it? Oh, and about the restaurant. Do you think ... that it should be one with candles, and romantic music, or is that pushing it?"

"This reminds me of me before my first date." Liam stated.

"You acted like this?" Dawn asked.

"Well, maybe grandma is dealing with it better than I did. But yeah."

"Buffy, what do you think?" Joyce asked. "Should I, you know, try to make things romantic, or ... sorta let him set the pace?

"Why are you asking me?" Buffy cried.

"Hello you're engaged, mom." Liam said.

"Doesn't mean I know about love. I only had two boyfriends. Both of them left. Left left. Left town left. But one did come back and proposed to me."

"That usually means you know about love Buffy." Dawn said.

"If you want my advice grandma" Liam said. "Just be yourself and everything will go great. Even if he isn't the guy you'll end up with, it'll end well."

"Oh really?" Joyce asked looking reassured.

"Totally."

"That's great, Oh god. Brian. What time is it now?" Buffy checked her watch.

"4:25." She said.

"You sure the dress is okay?" Joyce asked nervously.

"Have you tried spinning for them?" Liam asked. Both Dawn and Buffy laughed. Joyce gave them an amused-scolding look. Buffy turned to Liam.

"So are you coming to the spring break party at the campus?" Buffy asked her son. Liam sighed.

"I was actually thinking of hanging out with Dawn tonight."

"No. No you're not. Giles will take care of Dawn. You and your father are so much alike. You will go to the party with me. You will have fun and you will enjoy yourself." Liam sighed thinking about it. "Don't make me ground you." Buffy warned.

"Alright." Dawn and Joyce snickered at Buffy's warning to her future son who was technically older then her. Liam leaned and gave both of them a scowling look.

…..

Liam went to the party under his own mothers will but it wasn't bad as he thought. They were both dancing with each other. Buffy laughed as Liam dipped her playfully and brought her back up.

"Having fun?" She asked.

"Yeah." Liam admitted. "It's nice to do this. Just wish it wasn't with my mother."

"Only you and I know that."

"Makes it somewhat worse." Liam said. Buffy laughed. The song ended and Buffy led Liam off the dance floor.

"I need a drink." Buffy said.

"I think I'll start drinking again after what we just did." Liam said.

"We weren't doing anything dirty."

"What? You were doing something dirty?" Xander said as they met up with the gang.

"No we weren't" Buffy defended. "He's just worried because he knows Angel and what he's capable of."

"Yeah." Liam said going along with it. "I don't want to piss off Angel. I know what he can do."

"Don't worry." Buffy said. "I say something against it, he doesn't do it. At most he'll just threaten you."

"Doesn't make it all that better." Liam said. Buffy laughed.

"So you're having fun Buffy?" Tara asked.

"Yeah. I am" she replied then took a sip from her cup.

"Hey Buffy. There's Ben." Liam said pointing to Ben who was on the other side of the room.

"Yeah it is." Buffy said seeing him. "I'm going to go talk to him. I'll be back." She went over to Ben. Liam stayed with the gang. Buffy walked over while Ben is looking the other way. "Hi Ben." She said getting his attention.

"Buffy." Ben said noticing her.

"I didn't even know you were here."

"Well I couldn't pass up an opportunity to be a normal guy every now and then." He said grinning. "How's your mom?"

"She's good. She's got a date tonight."

"Oh, good for her. Is she here?"

"Oh god no. She went to the movies and then to dinner. Or maybe dinner and then the movies. I don't know. She's just not here."

"Oh ok. So long as she's doing alright."

"She is. Dawn told us you helped her out at the hospital. We didn't get chance to thank you."

"Oh, it was nothing." Ben said quickly. He looked a little uncomfortable.

Back with the rest of the gang, Xander and Anya are investigating the munchies.

"Look at these tiny grain patties." Anya said. "They're woven. That's craftsmanship." She ate one.

"They aren't hand-woven, you know." Xander said.

"Then how?"

"Well, it's a, a machine, and it's ... it sorta …it presses." Xander got distracted, as looked across the room. A brunette girl in a pink dress entered the party. "And there may be a mold of some sort ... who's that?" he asked looking towards the girl. Liam looked to.

"Whoa…same question." Liam said. Anya looked.

"Oh, that girl. Tara and I met her." Anya said. "She speaks with a strange evenness and selects her words a shade too precisely."

"Well, some of us like that kind of thing in a girl." Xander said.

"Wouldn't mind having that myself. Might save me from a few encounters with….." Liam trailed off and looked down with a bit of a sad look. Willow walked past the girl and approached the gang. She noticed Liam's expression.

"Hey, you ok?" Willow asked. Liam looked up at her and changed his expression.

"Yeah fine." He said quickly. "Just…..remembering."

"Remembering what?" She took some Chex Mix and looked at them then at Xander. "I thought you were getting the crunchies."

"Xander got hypnotized by the strange girl." Anya said. "I am remaining calm, however."

"Uh-uh, no, I'm, I'm right with you." Xander said. "You don't know what you're talking about. Here she comes." He said quietly. The girl approached them with her big smile.

"I heard that Warren was here." She said. "Is Warren here?"

"Um, Warren who?" Xander asked.

"He's ... Warren. And he's looking for me. He lost me." She walked away. Liam eyed her suspiciously as Tara approached the other scoobies.

"It's that girl again." Tara said. "Is she still looking for Warren?" They nodded. "Weird, it's been like all day."

"There's something strange about her." Willow said. "She talks funny."

"Some men find that appealing." Anya said. She smiled at Xander, who smiled back, although he was still occupied watching the girl.

"I just hope she finds him." Tara said.

"Yeah sure." Liam said. He too was still staring at the girl but wasn't thinking about hooking up with her. In fact he was contemplating something about her.

"Somehow I don't think a girl that looks like that's gonna be lonely for too long." Xander said.

"Definitely not." Willow grinned and nodded in agreement. Then she noticed Tara who frowned and folded her arms. "Oh, not me, I, I was just saying, a pretty girl like that, there's always someone lurking around, looking for some action." Tara looked mollified. Willow looked a little embarrassed.

"How about this Willow." Liam said still staring at the girl. "That girl's looking to drive a stick, instead of searching for a plug in." Willow gave him a bemused look. Tara smiled at the statement.

Buffy was still talking to Ben when Spike entered the party and spotted her.

"Small world." Spike said coming to her.

"Spike" Buffy said with a smile and hugged him. Ever since the deal with Drusilla, Spike, Buffy, and Angel had spent more time together just hanging out and trying to be family. To their surprise, it was working. Spike still acted like a jerk sometimes but they shrugged it off. They all had really gotten along.

"Sorry I'm late." He said pulling out of the hug.

"Oh it's fine. It's good you made it though." She looked to Ben. "Ben this is Spike. My future brother in law. Spike this Ben. He's the intern at the hospital."

"That right? Hey, good job on fixin up Joyce. We really appreciate it."

"Uh…no problem." Ben said a little nervous. He looked to Buffy. "Brother in law? I didn't know you were getting married."

"Oh I am" Buffy said holding her hand with the claddagh ring.

"Well that's great. Congratulations."

"Thanks"

"Sorry to leave so abruptly." Spike said looking into the crowd and eyeing the girl that kept asking about Warren. "Figure I could have some fun and I think I just found her. Excuse me." he left and went over to the girl.

"Good luck." Buffy said back and turned to Ben.

"Look." He said. "I gotta run. Emergency call at the hospital. But if you need anything," he pulled at a piece of paper and wrote something on it. "My phone number. He gave it to Buffy. "You know, in case your mom needs anything, or need some medical advice. I'd be happy to help."

"Thanks" she said.

Spike walked up to the girl who was asking about Warren.

"And who are you, darlin'? "he said with a grin.

"I'm April." She responded. "I'm looking for my fella."

"Maybe you just found him."

"Really? Where?" April said excitedly. Spike grinned, leaned in and whispered in her ear. April looked angry.

"Oh!" she said and grabbed Spike by the front of his shirt and lifted him over her head.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Spike said. This brought he attention of everyone at the party.

"That would be wrong." April said still holding Spike. "You are not my boyfriend!" She threw Spike through a window, which shattered. Everyone stared. Spike got back up and looked through the now glassless window.

"Bloody hell! You threw me through a window!" Spike yelled. "What's that about?"

"You do not make those suggestions to me." April answered. "I have a boyfriend. Warren is my boyfriend."

"You know what? My bleeding sympathies to Warren." Spike walked off annoyed. April turned away from the window and the onlookers moved back a bit.

"No one but Warren can touch me." she stated and began to walk away. Buffy intercepted her.

"Excuse me." she said. "Hi. Um, uh, maybe you and I could talk. You know, 'cause, throwing Spike through a window, well, that's really good... um, but, you know, generally speaking…"

"Do you know my boyfriend?" April said not paying attention to what Buffy was saying.

"Okay. I think you need to take a second and stop looking for your boyfriend." That wasn't the best thing to say. April grabbed Buffy by the upper arms and flung her backwards. She flew back several yards and landed on the floor with an expression of pain, grabbing her arm.

"I have to find him." April said walking over to where Buffy was sitting, clutching her arm in pain. "If I hurt you just now, I'm sorry. And I hope that your boyfriend will take good care of you." April walked away as Ben, Xander, Willow, Anya, Liam, and Tara rush over to Buffy. Buffy pouted sadly as she watched April leave.

…

The gang gathered in the student lounge in the dorm. Buffy was pacing, still holding her arm. The Scoobies are sitting in various chairs.

"Ow." Buffy said. "I don't know about you guys, but I've had it with super-strong little women who aren't me."

"Well, at least she didn't do too much damage." Tara said.

"Are you kidding?" Xander said. "Double-glazed windows ain't cheap. And the jamb needs to be completely repaired." He paused for a moment. "Oh dear god, I'm the grownup who sees the world through my job. I'm like my uncle Dave the plumber. I must be shunned."

"Okay." Willow said.

"So, what do you guys think she is?" Buffy asked. "I mean, this may sound nuts, but I kinda got the impression that she was a…"

"Robot." Tara finished. Everyone nodded in complete agreement.

"Oh yeah, robot." Xander confirmed.

"Android is the proper term." Liam said. Everyone stared at him. "What I mean is…through some…..movies I've seen…Robots are metallic while…androids look more….human." He stammered. He just dodged a bullet.

"What do you think she wants?" Buffy asked.

"Warren, whoever that is." Tara said.

"It's gotta be the guy that built her." Xander said.

"It's an unusual name." Willow put in. "There's hardly any except ... Warren Beatty and, you know, President Harding. It-it's probably not either of them."

"But it should narrow the search down considerably." Liam pointed out.

"Will, can you track down this guy with only a first name?" Buffy said.

"Given enough time." Willow said. "I can get a list of the Sunnydale students named Warren tonight, but ... then we'll have to call them or go to their dorms, so we probably can't start narrowing it down till tomorrow." Buffy frowned

"She could do a lot of damage by then." Anay said.

"To who, Spike?" Xander said. "See how vigorously I don't care." Liam scowled and Buffy gave him a look that said 'down boy'. "She was looking for this Warren, but it didn't sound like she wanted to hurt him. She said he's her boyfriend."

"I agree." Willow said. "I'm not sure this is a code red. Hey, is there a code pink? We need more codes." Tara smiled at her.

"Okay." Buffy said. "We'll track down Warren tomorrow. Tonight I better go rescue Giles. He's been watching Dawn while my mom's out on her date, and I have a feeling there's only so much he can take."

"Oh, Giles and Dawnie?" Tara said. "I bet they ended up having a blast."

…

"Dear god, Buffy, there's only so much I can take." Giles complained after they both of them got home. Giles, Liam, and Buffy were standing in the Summers foyer, by the open door. "We're going to have to change the system. A fourteen-year-old's too old to be babysat, and it's not fair on her." Liam leaned into Buffy.

"Told you, you should have let me take care of her." He said with a grin. Buffy nodded and also grinned.

"What'd she make you do?" She asked Giles.

"Um, well," He began. "We listened to aggressively cheerful music sung by people chosen for their ability to dance ... then we ate cookie dough and talked about boys." Buffy laughed. Liam snickered.

"I'm sorry. I'm very very sorry, but if it makes you feel any better, my 'fun time Buffy party night' involved watching a robot throw Spike through a window, so if you wanna trade... No ... wait ... I wouldn't give that memory up for anything."

"A robot? Sounds interesting."

"Proper term is android." Liam corrected the both of them.

"What is the difference?" Buffy asked.

"I explained already. Robot shiny and metal. Android looks like human."

"Whatever. We're gonna work on it in the morning." She looked to Giles. "I mean, unless you wanna stay for a while, and then you and I could…" Joyce appeared behind Giles, entering the house with a big smile.

"Who wants to hear everything?" she said happily.

"...listen to my mom talk about boys." Buffy finished.

"Right, must go." Giles said quickly. "See you tomorrow. Bye Joyce." He left.

"Bye Rupert." She said back. Joyce closed the door behind Giles, turned and gave Buffy and Liam a big smile. "Gosh, I'd forgotten how much fun dating can be."

"I don't know." Buffy said smiling. "I was standing right here. I didn't see Prince Charming. I didn't even see a goodnight kiss." Joyce smiled and walked past Buffy to put her purse down. "It all looked pretty tame to me."

"Just wait for the next one." Liam said with a grin.

"Well, I suppose by your standards it could seem pretty ... Oh dear."

"What?" Buffy and Liam said together.

"I left my bra in his car."

"Mother!" Buffy said looking shocked and horrified. Liam started to snicker. Payback time.

"I'm joking." Joyce said smiling. Buffy sighed

"Good god, that's horrible. Don't do that."

"I left it in the restaurant." Joyce continued. Liam snorted

"No more! No more! No more!" Buffy put her hands over her ears and started running up the stairs

"On the dessert cart!" Joyce yelled up the stairs. Liam burst out laughing

"I can't hear you!" Buffy said faintly.

"Not so funny when it's done to you is it mom?" Liam called up. They heard Buffy's door close. They laughed for a little bit before calming down. "That was fun."

"Oh I got that from her."

"Maybe next time, she'll be careful about what tricks she pulls in front of you."

"Maybe she will."

"So how was the date?"

"Absolutely wonderful." She said with a smile. "Now I'm off to bed. Good night Liam."

"Night grandma." Joyce went upstairs and Liam smiled and chuckled. He walked to the door and then leaned his back on it. His smile faded and then looked really thoughtful. He sighed heavily and slid down the door. He was in a crouched position leaning on the door and he bowed his head in sadness.

…

The gang had gathered in the magic shop the next day talking about April. Buffy and the scoobies sat around the table.

"And you're certain she was a robot?" Giles asked.

"Android." Liam muttered under his breath.

"Absolutely." Buffy answered Giles' question not hearing Liam.

"Well, she practically had "Genuine Molded Plastic" stamped on her ass." Tara said. Giles and Willow gave her looks. "Just ... tryin' a little spicy talk." Willow smiled at her. She looked to Liam who mouthed 'nice'. Tara smiled.

"She was looking for someone named Warren." Anya informed them.

"Willow's already checked the Sunnydale enrollment." Buffy said.

"And got nothin'." Willow finished. "I found one Warren, but he moved out of the country a year ago. I'm checking nearby schools."

"Check some more of the Techy schools." Liam suggested.

"On it."

"Whoever he is, he knows his stuff." Xander said. "That girl, well... that was a nice-lookin' girl." Tara gave Xander a dubious look.

"It's okay for him to say that, 'cause I know that he really loves me only." Anya said. Xander leaned over to took Anya's hand. Liam watched a little sadly.

"Is there something the rest of us could be doing?" Giles asked.

"What can we do?" Xander replied.

"Oh, do you have any books on robots?" Tara asked.

"Oh, yes, dozens." Giles said sarcastically. "There's an enormous amount of research we should do before - no, I'm lying. I haven't got squat, I just like to see Xander squirm."

"Funny." Xander faked laugh. "Charming and funny."

"Hey! I think I found him." Willow said. "A Warren Mears. He went to Sunnydale High with us for a semester, and then he went to the tech college over in Dutton. I've got a local address where his folks still live." She wrote the information down.

"He's probably home for spring break."

"Well, I'll go talk to him." Buffy said taking the paper from Willow.

"I'll come too." Lia said getting up.

"No no no no no, wait," Giles objected. "We don't know what you're walking into. Uh, we have no idea what his motive is for building this thing.

"Um ... don't you think she's just..." Tar sais making an insinuating face)

"Yeah ... she's just sort of a..." Willow said making the same face.

"She's a sexbot." Xander blurted out. "I mean, what guy doesn't dream about that?" Liam raised his hand. Giles walks off to help the customer. "Beautiful girl with ... no other thought but to please you ... willing to do anything..." Xander said wistfully. He looked up and saw all four girls staring at him. Xander laughed nervously and looked to Liam. "You get it right?" Liam shook his head. "Too many girls. I miss Oz. He'd get it. He wouldn't say anything, but...he'd get it.

"Why would anyone do that if they could have a real live person?" Anya asked.

"Maybe he couldn't. Find a real person." Willow said.

"Oh, come on." Buffy said. "The guy's just a big wedge of sleaze, don't make excuses for him."

"But it's really hard out their Buffy." Liam said. "There are some people who don't find their true love until their forties. Some never find love at all. All we want growing up in life is to be loved by…someone." He bowed his head looking sad again. Giles finishes helping the customer and returns to sit with them.

"I'm just saying, people get lonely," Willow continued. "And maybe having someone around, even someone you made up ... maybe it's easier."

"But it's so weird." Tara said. "I mean, everyone wants a nice normal person to share with, but this guy, if he couldn't find that, I guess it's ... kinda sad."

"It really is." Liam said sadly.

"We should get going." Buffy said an turned to leave. Liam got up and went around Xander. As he pasted, he slapped Xander up the side of the head.

"Hey! What was that for?" Xander cried.

"For thinking that a sexbot is what all guys want." Liam replied.

…

Buffy and Liam were walking to Warrens house. Liam was walking with his hands in his pockets and his glasses on. Buffy noticed this but hadn't said anything while they walked.

"You're awfully quite." Buffy finally said. "Penny for your thoughts." She looked a little confused. "Where did that saying come from? Did people actually pay someone a penny to her their thoughts?"

"I don't know." Liam said not caring.

"Are you ok?" Buffy asked. "You see….sad."

"I'm just…." Liam sighed. "Little home sick is all." Buffy nodded understanding.

"Miss your own time?"

"Yeah. My time. My family. My friends. My w…" he stopped before he could say anymore.

"What was that?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing." Liam quickly said. "We're here." They reached their destination and were about to knock on the door when it opened and Warren stood there with a girl and a bag.

"I have to talk to you." Buffy said.

"Who's are they?" the girl asked.

"Is this about her?" Warren asked Buffy not paying attention at his girlfriend.

"Yes." Liam answered.

"Her who?" The gril asked annoyed. "Warren, something's going on here. Strange girls..."

"Katrina, please be quiet, okay, this is important." Warren said to her. "Wait in the kitchen."

"And I'm not important? Warren, just tell them to go away."

"I can't."

"You're keeping secrets from me. Other girls, and who knows what else?"

"Trina, shut up." He yelled. That wasn't smart.

"That's it. Forget it, Warren. I'm gone." She said furious and walked out past Buffy and Liam.

"No, Katrina! Ahhh..." Warren called desperately. Buffy shrugged and she and Liam walked inside.

"My name is Buffy Summers." She introduced herself. "We were at Sunnydale High together. Do you know who I am?"

Yes, I know. Who is he?" He asked looking at Liam.

"A friend." Liam replied.

"Right. Um, April, did she hurt someone?

"Yes. Me and my future brother in law."

"She's looking for me. You know, uh, she followed me here."

"Figured that out already." Liam said.

"No, no, there's more. Uh, there's something you need to know about her."

"We know."

"No, wait, this is important."

"Believe me, we worked it out." Buffy said.

"No, this is something, uh, that you can't possibly know." Buffy folded her arms and nodded to him to continue. "She's a robot." Buffy looks at him as if expecting more.

"Uh-huh." She said.

"Proper term is android" Liam said and Buffy elbowed him to shut up.

Warren begun to explain his reasoning for building April. Buffy sat on the sofa while Warren paces. Laim stood leaning on a wall.

"So you have girl troubles." Buffy pointed out. "They're not talking to you, you're not gettin' dates ... you start thinking, 'hey, this isn't fair.'"

"Yeah, I mean, I felt like I deserved to have someone." Warren said. "You know, I mean, everyone deserves to have someone."

"Of course." Liam said.

"So naturally you turned to manufacturing." Buffy said.

"Kinda." Warren said.

"And how long did it take to build yourself that little toy?"

"Oh, no, she's not a toy. I mean, I know what you're thinking, but she's more than that."

"I'm sure she has many exciting labor-saving attachments."

"No, I made her to love me. I mean, she cares about what I care about, and she wants to be with me. She listens to me and supports me. I didn't make a toy. I made a girlfriend."

"A girlfriend. Are you saying ... are you in love with her?"

"I really thought I would be. I mean, she's perfect. I don't know, I ... I guess it was too easy. And predictable. You know, she got boring." Buffy rolled her eyes. "She was exactly what I wanted, and I didn't want her. I thought I was going crazy."

"Really? You?" Liam said.

"Then something happened. Katrina was in my engineering seminar, and she was really funny and cool. You know, she was always givin' me a hard time, real ... unpredictable. She builds these little model monorails that run with magnets, and ... Anyway. I fell in love with Katrina."

"Swell." Buffy said. "Romance and magnetic trains. But first you decided to take April out of the box, play with her for five minutes, and then what? You got bored, decided to dump her, tell her to go away?"

"Kinda."

"And she got mad." Liam said. "She didn't go, huh?"

"Okay, I didn't really dump her, as much as I, uh, went out, and, uh, didn't come back." Buffy and Liam stared at him. "I left her, I ... left her in my dorm room."

"You left her in your dorm room?!" Buffy said angrily.

"Dude." Liam muttered.

"Well, I figured I could just kinda get away until her batteries gave out." Warrant tried to explain. "Which should have been days ago."

"Did you even tell her?" Buffy asked. "I mean, did you even give her a chance to fix what was wrong?"

"I didn't need to fix anything. I mean, her batteries were supposed to run down. Really, they should be completely dead by now."

"So why aren't they?" Liam asked.

"I don't, I don't know. I mean, maybe ... uh, she must be recharging them somehow."

"Warren, this is important." Buffy said. "Is she dangerous?"

"She's only programmed to be in love."

"She's dangerous." Both Buffy and Liam said at the same time.

…..

Warren, Buffy, and Liam were walking around, looking for April.

"April! April, are you there?" Warren yelled. "If the batteries are still working and she hears my voice, then ... she'll answer."

"She's voice-activated?" Liam asked.

"Well, I made it so that if she heard me and she didn't answer, it causes this kind of feedback."

"Wait, if you call her and she doesn't answer, it hurts her?" Buffy said appalled. Warren looked embarrassed. "You're one creepy little dweeb, Warren."

"April!" he yelled again.

"Warren!" Aprils suddenly cried. Buffy, Liam, and Warren stopped walking, looking shocked.

"April." Warren said. April was standing by the playground holding Katrina by the neck. Katrina's feet were not touching the ground and she appeared to be unconscious.

"Where have you been?" April asked. "I couldn't find you, and this girl kept lying to me, and ... then she went to sleep." They all stared at her in dismay.

"April, what did you do?" Warren cried. April looked at Katrina then back at warren.

"Please don't be angry, Warren. I'm trying very hard to make you happy."

"Got to admire that about her." Liam muttered.

"April." Buffy said. "I want you to put the girl down."

"Warren?" April asked him. "What should I do?" Warren hesitated.

"Talk to her!" Buffy told him

"Pu-put her down!" Warren told April. April lowered Katrina. Buffy and Warren carried Katrina to a nearby bench and laid her down.

"Is she broken?" April asked. Liam felt Katrina's neck for a pulse.

"She's alive." He said. Warren looks relieved and moved toward April.

"Warren, honey, what's going on?" April asked. "Why did you go away? Is it a game?"

"No. No, this isn't a game." He said.

"Did I do something wrong? I waited a long time and you never came back. A long time. I made you five sweaters." Liam mouthed _sweaters _to Buffy. Buffy shrugged.

"That's great, you could go back and get them. So you could wait there and…"

"Warren!" Buffy said. "You have to tell her. And do it right."

"Better get it out of the way dude." Liam said. Warren looked nervously at April.

"What are they saying, Warren?" April asked. "What do you need to tell me?"

"April, I made a mistake." Warren stammered.

"You can't make mistakes." April laughed.

"No, I did. I thought that I made you everything that I wanted, but it wasn't really what I wanted. I'm sorry, bu-but it's over."

"But ... I can be whatever you want." April smiled. "I love you. I'll do whatever you want. Would you like a neckrub?" She moved in forward reaching for Warren's neck. He fended her off.

"No, hey, no. See, I - I know that you love me, but the truth is, I can't love you. I mean, it's not your fault, but... I don't love you." April frowned "I love her!" he indicated to Katrina but Aprils monitor focused on Buffy and April immediately went into kill mode. She growled.

"She growls?" Buffy asked. "You made her so she growls?"

"Cool" Liam looked impressed.

"Well..." Warren began. April grabbed Buffy and flung her away. She landed on some grass and got up as April approached.

"Buffy!" Liam cried. He went to April from behind, but she simply back fisted him without looking. He went out like light.

April went over to a see-saw and lifted one end of it. She brought her arm down on the middle of the board so it snapped in half. Buffy looked alarmed. April swung the piece of wood at Buffy, who grabbed it. They grappled. Buffy kicked April in the stomach and she stumbled back, grabbing the bench to steady herself. Buffy swung the piece of wood but April got out of the way and it slammed down on the bench. It awoke Katrina, who sat up. Buffy swung again and hit April in the stomach, tearing away her dress and exposing machinery in her stomach.

"What's going on?" Katrina asked.

"No, no, Trina-" Warren said. Liam was coming to. He groaned and looked up, seeing his mother fighting April. April's inner workings started sparking. "Get away." Warren yelled. Katrina got up and backed away from the fight, toward Warren. Liam got up and joined them. Buffy swung the wood at April again and April grabbed it, pulling it out of Buffy's hands, tossing it away and punching Buffy. Buffy flew backward and landed on her back, turned it into a back flip and got up. She ducked a punch and landed another one on April.

"What is ... what ... that's a robot!" Katrina stammered while she clutched her throat.

"Android" Liam corrected.

"She wasn't just for sex." Warren blurted out.

"Is that ... is that your ex-girlfriend?" Katrina asked.

"Dude." Liam said putting his hand on his forehead. "You don't tell your current girlfriend that your ex-girlfriend android was not just for sex." Katrina started to run off. Warren ran after her.

Buffy and April continued exchanging punches and head-butts. Buffy kicked April, who fell down in the sand next to a swing set. Buffy grabbed the chains holding a swing up and used them to hold her up while she kicked April in the face, then hit her with the swing itself. April grabbed Buffy by the throat and lifted her off the ground as Buffy struggled and gasped for air. Liam started to run over.

"You took my man." April said. "I'm going to kill you. I'm going to ..." She paused. "I can't ... can't crush! So ... tired." She lets go of Buffy, who coughed and gasped. Liam went to check on her. April stared at her own hand. "Warren?" she said anxiously. "Where are you? What's happening to me?"

"My guess is your power supply has run out." Liam said observing her. April's hand slowly dropped to her side. A little later. Buffy and April were sitting on the swings side by side. Liam was leaning on it. April was leaning against the chain as it was the only thing holding her up.

"Can you cry?" Buffy asked. "Sometimes I feel better when I cry. But ... there might be rust issues."

"Crying is blackmail." April responded. "Good girlfriends don't cry."

"Oh."

"Yeah they do." Liam said coming into April's line of sight. "Sadness is what helps make the relationship grow. Love isn't bowing down to the other's every whim. It's doing things for them, and they do things for you. You'll cry, you'll fight, you'll get angry, but that's how a normal relationship works."

"I rechecked everything." April said. "I did everything I was supposed to do. I was a good girlfriend."

"I'm sure you were." Buffy said.

"I'm only supposed to love him. If I can't do that, what am I for? What do I exist for?"

"I don't know. It isn't fair. He wasn't fair to you."

"And that's how a relationship works." Liam said. "Being fair to each other. Otherwise it isn't a relationship at all." April looked around, moving only her eyes.

"It's getting dark." She said. Buffy and Liam looked around too. It looked as sunny as ever. "It's so early to be dark."

"Yeah." Buffy said softly.

"What if he comes back and he can't find me in the dark?"

"I'm here. I'll make sure that he finds you."

"So will I." Liam took a seat on the ground.

"Maybe this is a girlfriend test." April smiled. "If I wait here patiently this time, he'll come back."

"I'm sure he will." Buffy said. "And he'll ... he'll tell you how sorry he is." She paused. "You know, he told me ... how proud he was of you and ... how impressed he was with how much you loved him and how you tried to help him." April smiled happily. Liam stared at his mother and then smiled too. "He didn't mean to hurt you."

"He's going to take me home, and things will be right again."

"It'll be fine."

"When things are sad ... you just have to be patient." Her speech began to slow. "Because ... because every ... cloud has a silver lining. And ... when life ... gives you lemons ... make ... lemonade."

"Clouds and lemonade, huh?"

"Yes. And ... and ...things are ... always ... darkest ... before..." She stopped frozen with a small smile on her face. Her eyes stayed open. Liam looked at her with a frown, and then looked down pensively. Buffy saw this.

"Feeling sympathy?" she asked. Liam looked up at her with a sad face.

"Something like that." he said and got up. "I gotta go. Get some sleep. Had a real crazy day."

"I understand that." Buffy said and Liam left.

…..

Buffy got back home later and went to her room. The phone rang and Buffy went to answer it.

"Hello" she said.

"_Buffy"_ she heard Angels voice.

"Angel! You called."

"_You sound surprised."_

"Well I thought you might be out on a case or something."

"_Just finished up. So what's going on since I left?"_

"We fought a robot girlfriend of a weird creepy geek who dumped her in the wrongest way possible."

"_Wow. A robot. That must have been interesting."_

"Yeah it was. Liam kept telling us that she wasn't a robot but and android. He was very picky about it."

"_Really?"_

"Yeah. So how's LA? How did your team take you being permanently ensouled and being engaged?"

"_They were shocked. We had to go through a process to make sure I wasn't Angelus for them to believe me. once they found out that I wasn't Angelus, they congratulated me before Cordy got a vision about this vampire motivational speaker who was raising an army with some sort of coloring system."_

"Vampire motivational speaker hunh? Did they run out of the good people to turn into bloodsucking demons?"

"_Hey?"_

"You know I love you Angel."

"_I do. Look I gotta go now. But it was nice talking to you."_

"You too. Come visit me?"

"_I will let you know when I have chance to come and when I'm in town."_

"I'll be waiting. I love you."

"_I love you too, Buffy."_ He hung up and so did Buffy. She sighed a happy smile and went to her room.

…

Warren was at his house and was talking on the cordless phone, moving around, packing.

"Trina, no, wait, listen, listen, I'm so sorry." Warren said into it. "I guess I asked- No, no, just give me a chance to explain, I ... Yes! No, but she - no, no, listen, listen, I'll do anything, just, no, no, don't hang up!" He sighed and went to hang up the phone. He turned around and gasped in shock as he saw Liam standing behind him, holding a box full of stuff. "How, how'd you get in here?"

"Your mom let me in." Liam said and walked closer. "I'm placing an order."

"Oh, no, no, I'm not making any more girls."

"Sure you are." He shoved the box into Warren's hands. "Here's your specs." Inside the box were a number of pictures and clothing items. All of them Buffy's. Warren stared at Liam. "You're gonna make her real good."

…..

Liam got back to his apartment. With his dad out of town, he didn't want to stay at the mansion. Especially after the day he had. He had actually asked Warren to make him the Buffybot he was told about. He didn't really know why. All he knew was that it helped the gang out in the future. He was just making sure that he followed history. If what is to come actually does come, he would need it. They would need it. But his mind wasn't entirely on ordering the Buffybot, it was on something else. April and Warren, Anya and Xander, Willow and Tara, His grandmother and her date, his parents. Couples really. Liam felt alone.

He went to his bed and lifted up his pillow. Under it was a jewelry ring box. He picked it up and opened it. inside was his fathers claddagh ring. While it wasn't his dad's in his time, it used to be when he and his mother were together before both of their deaths. Now it was his. He took it out of the box and placed it on his left ring finger, with the point of the heart pointing towards him, signifying he was married. He laid on the bed and traced his thumb over the grooves of the ring. He kissed the ring and leaned back closing his eyes with a heavy sigh.

"Delia." He whispered.

**Like it? Love it? You tell me. Liam is married. He orders the Buffybot for a certain reason. Can you figure it out? Probably, but remember this, I might throw a curve ball at you guys. Tell me what you think. Review and Comment.**


	22. A Lovers Journey

Chapter 22: A lovers Journey

**Ok this chapter, no Buffy, no Angel, no Scoobies. Well not the original anyway. That's right folks. We are back with Liam centric and it is a memory chapter. Well several memories. We have delved into Liam's past when he lost the people he loved. Now we will delve into his love life when he gains a new love. That's where your questions about Delia get answered. Enjoy.**

…

**Night Time**

**Streets of LA**

**May 19, 2025**

Liam was waling down a street in LA. He was pissed. He had been for a while now. About a year ago, he had lost his father and his brother to those crow bastards. All he asked for was the name of the man who did it. The organization had been working ever since the incident, but no one found anything. Liam even tried sneaking in and breaking into files. He was a better investigator than half of the people working in his mother's organization. He was probably the best. But even he couldn't find out who did it. That hadn't helped at all. For the past year, Liam had distanced himself form everyone. Spike, who wanted to help him, couldn't. Kathy was dealing with her own problems, but she managed to control herself after a few months. It had been over a year, and Liam hadn't got over it. He wanted blood. He wanted vengeance. He wanted to be a vampire so that he could infiltrate the crows, find who do it, and drink there blood dry. He though it was a horrible way to die. He wanted to be like Angelus and kill every single last one of the evil in this world. But decided against it. His father had told him the story of how he did just that. It didn't end well. It might have gotten him Connor, but he had lost him along with his father. He wanted more than anything to make that pain go away. Liam was so busy with his problems her didn't see the girl in front of him that he bumped into. She dropped all her books and her bag on the ground.

"Watch it!" Liam said angrily. The girl looked back.

"Sorry" she sneered. "Didn't know it was act like a jackass day." She bent down to gather her belongings Liam sighed and composed himself.

"No, I'm sorry." He said as he bent down to help her. "I'm just not in a real good mood. I shouldn't have yelled at you. And I'm sorry for bumping into you." The girl looked at him.

"Well…I guess it was also my fault. I had a rough day at school. I wasn't looking where I was going either." Liam smiled at her. They got her things in order and they stood up. "Thanks." she said. "So I told you why I'm upset. What are you upset about?" Liam didn't know why, we just started to tell her why he was upset.

"My dad." He said.

"Problems with the father. Yeah. I got that too. He didn't want me to go off to the school that wanted me. He wanted me to go off to some Ivy school instead."

"I meant...my dad…died over a year ago." The girl suddenly looked sympathetic.

"I'm so sorry."

"Along with my brother."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's not your fault." Liam said sincerely. For some reason, he felt a sort of comfort from this girl he didn't even know the name to. She had dark hair and big dark brown eyes. She was really attractive. For once I in long time, Liam smiled. She smiled back at him. "Sorry for staring." Liam said after shaking himself out of his hypnotic stare.

"Its ok." The girl said. "I was kinda staring too." They both laughed.

"I'm Liam by the way." Liam said holding up his hand out.

"Nice to meet you Liam." She said shaking his hand.

"Do you…..wanna go grab a coffee?" Liam asked.

"I'd love too, but I have school in the morning. Maybe next time we run into each other." She turned around a left.

"Wait!" Liam called back. "I didn't get your name."

"Because I didn't give it." The girl said looking back. She smiled at him. Liam smiled at her as she left. Then a thought occurred to him. What had just happen? Did he just give someone his name and ask them out? That never happened before. He was confused, but he really wanted to know that girls name.

….

The next day, Liam had walked to the same spot where he met that girl, hoping to meet her again and ask her, her name. He waited there for maybe about, 45 minutes before he decided that it was a lost cause. Of course that girl wouldn't be interested in him. Asking her out was the wrong move.

"Stupid." He muttered to himself. He started walking when he got that same feeling he always got. Vampires were close. Liam looked around and found them. Three of them were coming out of a night club with three girls. Liam was still a little angry and upset. Tonight he had something to take it out on. Liam followed them into the alley. The vamps suddenly turned on the girls and were about to bite them.

"Excuse me. 'scuse me. I'm sorry." Liam said acting drunk and walking towards them. "But has anybody seen my car? It's big, and it's shiny."

"Piss off, pal!" one vampire said. Liam didn't like that. He hit the vamp and attacked the other two, knocking them off of the girls.

"Go" he yelled to them and they ran. Liam went back to fighting the vamps.

"Big mistake buddy." Another vamp said. Liam was pinned on three sides. He kinda liked these odds.

"The mistake was acting like a jackass." Came a female voice from behind them. They turned and there stood the girl that Liam met yesterday.

"Slayer!" the third vamp said. _Slayer?_ Liam mouthed. Two vamps rushed at the girl while the third attacked Liam. Liam activated his wrist stake and staked the vamp. He turned back to the girl who was fighting the two vamps. She was a good fighter. Liam was impressed. Then he came back to reality and attacked one of the vamps. The Slayer took one, Liam took the other. She fought really well. The vamp punched but she dodged and hit him in the stomach. He staggered back and the girl flipped over him and staked him in the back. Liam roundhouse kicked his vamp and hit the wall and bounced off into Liam's stake. Liam and the girl looked at each other. He couldn't believe that the girl he met last night was in fact a slayer. She couldn't believe that the boy she met last night took out two vamps like it was nothing.

"Uh…" she said staring at Liam.

"I think we should talk." Liam said.

"Yeah we should." She agreed.

"Coffee offer is still available."

"You buyin?"

"Sure"

"I'm in."

They went to the nearest Starbucks they found and Liam got them their coffee. He grabbed the beverages and sat at a booth where the girl sat staring out of the window.

"Here" Liam said as he put the coffee in front of her.

"Thanks." She muttered. She took a sip of her coffee at the same time Liam did. They sat there for a few minutes in silence. It seemed like an eternity to Liam. She sighed. "So…how do you know about vampires?" she asked.

"My family fights them." Liam answered. "Sorta like the family business." She nodded her head.

"So you're a slayer." Liam said. This caught the girl off guard.

"How do you know about slayers?"

"My mother was one. _The _Slayer everyone keeps saying."

"_The_ Slayer? You mean your mother was Buffy Summers?"

"Liam Summers, at your service miss…."

"Winters. Delia Winters." For some reason they both laughed at the irony of their names. Her last name was Winters while his was Summers. Weird. She stopped laughing while Liam laughed just a little more. "Ok it wasn't that funny." Delia said smiling.

"It isn't that" Liam said calming down. "It's just….Delia. My dad had a friend he fought with who was named Cordelia."

"Cordelia?" she asked. Liam nodded. She suddenly laughed too.

"Your name isn't short for Cordelia is it?" Liam asked hoping the answer was 'no.'

"No. it's just Delia." She replied.

"This is just getting weirder and weirder." Liam said. "First I meet a slayer, which my mother was one, and she has a similar name to a girl my dad dated."

"Sounds weird to me." she said. They laughed some more. "I never though I would meet the son of the slayer. A half vampire at that if the stories are true."

"Oh they're true. My mom married and bred with the vampire with a soul. Thus me and my sister."

"I've heard of your sister. Isn't she like in the Slayer Organization?"

"Yeah. She joined just several months ago."

"Why haven't you?" Delia asked. Liam took another sip of coffee. He didn't like telling people anything. But for some reason, he felt like he could tell this girl anything.

"I've….I've been really angry for the past year. You heard about how my dad died?"

"Yeah I did. The Crows did it."

"Yeah. I brood for about a month, waiting on someone to tell me that they got the guy who did it. They never did. I got so angry waiting, I barged into my aunt's office and demanded to know. She didn't know anything. They didn't know anything. Since then I've just been a….I've been…." Liam struggled to find the right word.

"A jackass." Delia finished for him.

"Yeah." Liam said. "I just….really hated everyone around me."

"Do you hate me?" she asked. Liam looked at her. He thought she was really beautiful. She also had this way of making him feel safe. He hadn't felt that way since his father died. She also had this smile that just made feel smile too. Even when he felt angry, she smiled and he would relieve all that anger by smiling too.

"No." he said and he saw that smile that he was beginning to love. He smiled back.

…

Liam got back to Spike's house later that night. He had been staying with his Uncle Spike since is father died. Kathy used to, but moved out after she decided to join the Slayer Organization. In the time that they were living together here, Spike had taught them fighting moves so to prepare them for when they might be attacked. He had tried to talk to Angel about teaching them but Angel only allowed himself to teach them. Figured it would be better that he could see what they knew and controlled what they learned. Spike taught Kathy and Liam fighting moves and hold to wield weapons. They learned fast. Eventually Kathy decided to join the Slayer Organization and train to be one of them. Liam didn't want to because he felt like the organization was useless. But now he was thinking that they weren't all that useless. He thought that maybe it would be Ok to join.

"Liam." Liam heard his name being called.

"I'm home Uncle Spike." He said. Spike came in from the kitchen.

"Where have you been tonight? Dust a few vamps?"

"Actually I did. And I met someone." Liam said wit ha smile. Spike noticed this and was shocked.

"Is that you smilin?" he asked. Liam shrugged. Spike hadn't seen Liam smile since his sixteenth birthday. "What the bloody hell happen to you?"

"I told you. I met someone."

"A girl?" Spike asked. Liam nodded.

"Not just any girl. A slayer."

"You met a slayer?!" Spike laughed. "And this slayer got you to actually smile?" Liam looked a little embarrassed. Spike laughed even more. "Like father like son I recon."

"It's nothing like mom and dad." Liam said putting up his coat.

"Sure it ain't. All it took for ya dad is one look and he was your mum's lapdog by the next day."

"Hey. I'm nobody's lapdog."

"Not yet."

"Shut up." Liam said and made his way to the sofa. "So where's Bill?"

"He's at school still. Training with the slayerettes. Like you care." Spike looked away from Liam.

"I wanna join." Liam said getting up. Spike looked taken aback. "I wanna join and train."

"First you come home not angry, then you smile, then you fall in love, and now you wanna join the Slayer Organization." Spike started to laugh again. "This must be some girl."

"She is" Liam said before he could stop himself.

"And there it is." Spike said pointing to Liam. "You're in love with her. All this talk about not being mad and joining the organization is all because of her."

"So what if it is." Liam said getting angry again.

"Smile's gone."

"This girl she…..she…..she makes me feel safe. She's the first person in a long time that I haven't had an issue with. She makes me happy."

"And that….is love my dear nephew." Spike said with a grin. Liam sighed. He knew Spike was right. He knew how he felt when he was normal. But when he was around her tonight, he felt different. He felt a warmth that felt vaguely familiar but it was like it hadn't been there in so long, it's heating up to accommodate the lost time. "You got a plan for this girl?" Spike asked. Liam sighed again.

"I was thinking of joining the organization and training. And when I see her, I'll just hang out with her."

"That's it?"

"I'm not going to be some creepy stalker." Liam countered.

"I should hope not. Didn't help with your mum and me."

"I thought it was because you tried to rape her."

"Hey! None of that talk." Spike yelled. "Don't bring up some painful memories."

"Ok. Alright." Liam said holding up his arms. He lowered them as Spike began to calm down. "So will you help me get in?" Spike looked at him wit ha shocked expression. "The Organization." Liam clarified.

"Oh. Yeah. I still got contacts with the Scoobies. I'll talk to Willow about it."

"Thanks Uncle Spike."

…

**A Few Weeks Later**

Willow had taken control of The Slayer Organization along with the rest of the Scoobies. After Spike called her about Liam joining, she pulled her willow magic and got Liam into training. The Slayer Organization had spread to all points of the globe fighting Wolfram and Hart. Since Liam lived in LA, he was at the LA training facility. The Hyperion. The old HQ for Angel investigations. Now AI was a front for the slayers. Liam walked into the front doors with his bags on his first day. He looked around the lobby that hadn't changed since he first laid eyes upon it when he was a kid. Actually, it hadn't changed much since his dad bought the place after exorcising it. Spike came out of the office that was used by the facility manager, which was Spike. He was holding a cup of coffee

"Hey there, Liam. I see you made it." Spike said taking a sip of his coffee.

"Yeah." Liam said going down the steps to Spike. "Wasn't hard to find."

"I'm sure it wasn't. Bill!" Spike called for his son. Bill came out of the training room and stopped at Spikes feet. "Take your cousin up to his room will you?"

"Yes sir." Bill responded and turned to Liam. When Spike went back into the office, Bill ran up to and hugged Liam. Liam hugged back. He hadn't really had a lot of time with Bill. Mostly because he didn't want to be with anyone for the past year. Bill was excited that his cousin was joining the organization. "So lets go." The thirteen year old said. Liam followed his little cousin up to the second floor where his room was. "So how have you been Liam?" he asked.

"Hanging in there." Liam replied. A few slayers came down the hall talking. The stopped and saw Liam and eyed him with wandering eyes. Liam looked back at them and smiled politely. They giggled and walked the opposite directing. "But I think this will be better for me."

"I think so too. We really learn a lot."

"Do you go out on patrols?"

"Some do. I can't go. Dad wont let me."

"Big surprise." They came upon Liam's room and they entered. It was a last minute notice for Willow to get Liam enrolled so his room wasn't the presidential suite. It was small with only a bed, a dresser, and a closet. Nothing more. "I like it." Liam said and stepped in, dropping his bag on the bed.

"I'll tell dad you're settled in then." Bill said.

"Alright. You do that. I'll settle in and take a look around. It's been a while since I was last here."

"Ok." Bill turned to leave but looked back. "I'm glad you're here." He said and left the room closing the door. Liam sighed. In the last year he had been a real jackass. Bill was like a little brother to him. Bill loved Liam a lot. They had played together when they were younger but Liam had practically pushed Bill away. He was going to make it up to him.

After Liam got settled in, he decided to take a look around the Hyperion to see exactly what had changed. The Hyperion had five floors in total. The ground floor that housed the dining hall, the kitchen, and a few rooms had been transfigured into class rooms. The first and second floors were bedrooms for slayers in training. The third floor was a complete training floor. Complete with a weapons area and an obstacle course of some kind. The fourth floor was a big library for research. This place had really changed a lot. Liam was looking through the library, impressed by what he saw, when he didn't look where he was going and bumped into a girl who was carrying a stack of old books. The stack fell to the floor wit ha loud thud.

"I'm so sorry." Liam immediately said and bent down to gather the books.

"Well that's better than how we first met." The girls said. Liam looked back and saw Delia looking over him.

"Delia." Liam said gathering the last of the books and standing up. "Was hoping to see you here."

"That so." she said with a raise eyebrow. Liam mentally slapped himself. Should not have said that. "So are you like visiting this place?"

"Well actually….I'm getting use to this place since I'm….going to be staying here."

"What?" she looked surprised.

"I joined the family business." Liam said with a shrug. Delia laughed.

"What changed your mind?" Liam suddenly felt really embarrassed. It was actually her that had changed his mind. He didn't want to reveal that he was falling for her, so he tried to hide it as best as he could.

"Something about our talk actually." He said hoping that would suffice. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Wow. I don't know what I actually said, if I said anything, but you're welcome."

"Thank you."

"So, since you're going to be here now, you can help carry my books to my next class."

"Sure." He said and he followed her out of the library and to her class on the ground floor. When they got there, Liam place her books her desk. "There you go."

"Thank you, kind sir." She replied with a smile.

"Do you really need all these books for a class?" Liam asked eyeing the stack.

"Not really. I just like old books. Doesn't really matter what they are. I just like them."

"I kinda do too. My dad had a lot of them around the house." The bell sounded meaning everyone had to be in class.

"I have to get to class." Delia said.

"You are in class." Liam pointed out. They both laughed. "But I should probably go. I'll see you later then."

"Bye" she said with a wave and a smile. Liam loved that smile. He'd hope to see her more often.

**Seven Months Later**

Since Liam had joined The Slayer Organization, he learned quickly and rose through the training levels fast. After the first few months of being with the slayers, he had really molded into a fighter and a leader. He was better than with all the training he had received from his dad. Pretty soon after that, he was in charge of leading slayers in night patrols. He hadn't seen Kathy though. She was in England getting advanced training to be apart of some Special Unit the organization had. Liam missed his sister, but he started calling her more often. But during most of his down time, he spent it hanging out with Delia. They even started training together. At first, she was higher than Liam, but due to Liam's training in the past and how learned quick, by his sixth month, he was higher than her.

It was during the seventh month that things changed drastically. It was New Years Eve and Liam had still not asked Delia out. Spike kept on urging him to just ask her. Bill had found out about Liam's 'crush' and with him being thirteen, that didn't help at all. Liam had to stop Bill a number of times from blurting it out, right in front of Delia. There was party happening in the dining hall to celebrate the New Year. Liam's New Year's resolution was to ask out Delia, no matter what.

It was nearing midnight and Liam had looked all over the place for Delia but couldn't find her anywhere. He was going to call it quits when Bill came up to him.

"If you're looking for your girlfriend, I saw her by the punch bowl with some watcher in training." Bill said with a smile.

"She's not my girlfriend." Liam said sounding annoyed. "But thanks" Liam went over the punch bowl and sure enough, Delia was with a male watcher in training that looked like he was in his last year here. Liam didn't like it one bit. He walked over to the couple.

"Hey." He said casually. "Hope I'm not interrupting."

"Liam," Delia said. "No, no. Roger here was telling me a funny thing that happened with one of the trainees and the weapons the other day." Roger was about to start talking about it, but Liam interrupted him.

"Yeah, that's' great. Listen Delia, can I talk to you?" Delia nodded and Liam led her away. The clock on the wall read _11:59_. New Years Eve was ending fast. Liam led Delia to a corner of the room and looked to her.

"Delia." Liam started. "We've been hanging out these past several months and it's been great…" people in the dining hall began to countdown to the new year from twenty. "It's just that...I have been having these feelings…." The crowd got to ten. "And I've been wanting to tell you for some time." _Five, Four, Three, Two_…. "I was hoping maybe we…." As the crowd reached _One_, Delia grabbed him and kissed Liam on the lips. Liam was a little surprised by was glad for the kiss. He started kissing back. It was the best kiss he ever had. She pulled away and smiled that smile that he loved so much.

"I though you would never ask." She said. Liam looked stunned.

"How did…" he began to ask.

"Bill kinda blurted it out one time." She laughed.

"Remind me to kill him." He said. Delia leaned and kissed him again. He kissed back and forgot all about Bill. New Year's resolution, accomplished.

**A Year And A Half Later**

Liam and Delia had been inseparable. Ever since they got together on that New Year's day, they spent as much time together as possible. In the time they hung out and dated, Liam learned that she loved chocolate mint chip ice-cream. It wasn't far off from cookie dough fudge mint chip, so Liam liked it. She seemed like the perfect slayer to him. She loved old books and she didn't like the new advancing technology. He didn't mind. While some of technology was ok to use, they both seemed to prefer to use old fashioned methods. Such as punches and kicks. Though, as they progressed in the Slayer Organization, their training schedules, and pretty soon, patrol schedules conflicted with one another. It got really bad when Liam was asked to take part in the Special Ops team the Kathy now commanded. Liam didn't want to leave Delia, but she urged him to go. She wanted him to go and do it in memory of his family.

When Liam had to go off to England for more advanced training, he told her that he knew magic and could teleport to LA whenever they had time. They made time. Some nights, he would just teleport into her room and they would have Chinese take out. Liam wished to take her out to some fancier restaurant but Delia didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed to prefer Chinese. So it was ok by Liam.

Liam and Delia were at the boardwalk at the carnival there. They got away from the walls of the Slayer Organization and just had fun. They hadn't seen each other in weeks, so Liam went all out. He had spent 148 dollars by the end of the night on rides and games. They were walking away from the pier. Delia was eating some cotton and holding a teddy bear that Liam won her while he was massaging his shoulder. He had thrown it out winning that bear for her.

"Thanks for a wonderful night." Delia said.

"My pleasure" Liam said still rubbing his shoulder.

"Sorry about your shoulder."

"It's cool. Glad to know I did it for something good."

"It was just a bear."

"Not just a bear, a bear for you." He said smiling. She smiled too and got in close to him. Liam forgot about his shoulder and wrapped his good arm around her. He truly did love this girl.

"So what's next?" she asked as she ate her cotton candy.

"How about, just a walk."

"Not just a walk." She said. "A walk with you." They both smiled and walked along the beach. Delia had finished her cotton candy and was holding the bear in one hand and Liam's hand in the other. They stopped after about a mile and sat in the sand staring out into the ocean. "Can days like this, never end?" she asked Liam.

"I wish they never did." He responded. She leaned back into him and they laid down in the sand staring up into the sky now.

"When do you have to leave?" she asked.

"They might notice I'm gone by the end of the weekend."

"So I have you for the rest of the weekend." Delia said with a smile.

"Yeah, unless a mission comes up." Liam sighed. Suddenly his message alert sounded on his phone.

"You had to jinx it." Delia said getting up so that Liam could check his messages. He checked and sighed at what Willow had sent.

"Problems going on in Somalia." Liam said.

"Somalia. Sounds dangerous."

"Yeah well." He said looking at her. "Duty calls."

"Will you come if I call?"

"Of course" Liam said after beat. He leaned and kissed her. She kissed back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. The kiss got heated. Their hands started moving around each other's bodies. Before anything else could happen, Liam's message alerts sounded again. They pulled away and sighed at the same time. Delia looked at Liam.

"Duty calls right?" she said. Liam placed a hand on her cheek.

"One day soon, we won't have any calls. No demons to fight, no Wolfram and Hart. Just you and me." Delia smiled. Liam looked into her dark eyes where he saw more light then the sun gave off. "I love you." He whispered. She smiled.

"I love you." She whispered back.

…

**Day Time **

**Slayer HQ, Scotland**

**January 13, 2028**

Liam walked through the halls of the Citadel that the Slayer Organization was at. He had heard stories of how his mother would train the slayers back when she was in charge. A lot had changed since then. Everything was more organized. Slayers advanced every day. Delia rose through the levels in the slayer organization and had joined Liam's team in the fighting. Kathy was in charge of the Special Ops team of the Slayer organization and Liam talked her into letting Delia join. Not just because he loved her, but because out of all the slayers at their disposal, she was the one to pass all the tests. She was also really handy when it came to first aid. She was really adapt at Biology. Without her expertise, a few slayers wouldn't have made it back on her missions. She also helped with the magic department come up with a few potions and the medical department in helping with diseases that watchers got from around the world traveling.

But as good as she was at saving lives, she was even better at taking them. Her slayer training had really paid off. She could handle a fight with an Umber-vamp without breaking a sweat. She was really hardcore. Since she had joined, she and Liam spent more time together. However, it was more kill and kill instead of R and R. Delia didn't really like that part. Liam planned on changing that. Liam went through a door into Kathy's room. She was sitting at her desk and she was on her computer. She looked up as he entered.

"Haven't you ever heard on knocking?" She said folding her arms.

"And since when did that stop you from entering my room over the years?" he countered.

"I out rank you."

"I'm older."

"I'm the annoying sister."

"And I'm the annoying brother." They could have done this all day.

"What'd you want?" she asked. Liam sat down on the couch in the middle of her room.

"I need a favor. And you are the only one who can help me."

"Ok" she said scooting over with her chair so that she was closer to Liam. "What do you need?"

"I need a weekend off." He said.

"That's doable." He didn't look too satisfied. Kathy knew. "Oh. You want to have a weekend get way with your girlfriend."

"That obvious hunh?"

"Hey. You were the one who practically begged me to accept her into Spec Ops."

"Hey. She was good and you know it. I just helped in letting you notice."

"Right. So you want a weekend getaway?"

"It's been awhile since we had normal time to ourselves. And we both really want it." Kathy gave him a look.

"You two haven't…." she started. Liam cut her off.

"Yes. We have. But we don't get a lot. I mean, at most we get is twice a month."

"Twice a month?" Kathy practically yelled. "I get more then…."

"I know you do. You're in charge and can schedule your own time. We can't. So…help us out?" Kathy thought about it for a moment.

"Ok." She said. "You two can have a week off. When and where, your choice."

"Thank you" lam said getting up and kissing his sister on the cheek. "And I got the perfect place in mind."

"Where?"

…

Liam was escorting Delia to a plane that was going to take them to their destination for a vacation.

"So where are we going anyway?" Delia asked for the umpteenth time.

"I told you, it's a surprise. You'll just have to wait until we get there." Liam said.

"You're no fun." She pouted.

"That's not what you said all those times in bed." He countered with a smug smile. Delia looked appalled.

"Liam." She yelled and hit him playfully. They both laughed. They got on the plane and put their bags in the luggage compartment. Liam went to the cockpit and talked to the pilot. When he got back, they both settled into their seats.

"Well, we'll be there in a few hours." Lam said.

"And where are we going?" she asked again.

"You'll see." Delia leaned back in a humph. The jet started up and they took off. After about three hours, they landed at their destination. Liam got out first and Delia followed. She saw the site before here and was memorize. "Paris!" she said sounding surprised. "You brought me to Paris?"

"The most sensible of all honeymoon and vacation destinations." Liam said. Delia leaped intro his arms and kissed him with passion. When they broke she looked at him lovingly

"I love you." She said.

"Love Kathy. She's the one that got us this little vacation of ours." Liam said.

"Does that mean I have to sleep with her now?" Delia asked with a raised eyebrow and a grin.

"No. She provided the how. I provided the when and where." Liam said smiling.

"You are the most wonderful boyfriend ever." She said kissing him again. It was times like these that Liam treasured the most. When it was just him and her and nothing else.

…

**Day Time**

**Slayer HQ, Scotland**

**June 1, 2029**

Liam and Delia were right now riding horses across the Scottish plains. Enjoying each other's company and a break from the day to day life of being in the organization. Liam practically grew up around horses. His father brought him and Kathy to horse ranches and taught them how to take care of and ride horses. Liam loved it. When Delia asked if he could teach her, he didn't say no. She learned fast about riding them. Not so much on caring for them, but enough to keep them going.

Liam and Delia had stopped galloping and sat over a cliff looking at a body of water.

"I really like it here." Delia said. "It's peaceful, open, and it feels like one of those dreams you have when you're a kid. You know?"

"Yeah I do." Liam said. He loved these moments where he would just hold his girlfriend and the world would just wash away. "I wish these moments would never end."

"But they usually do." Delia breathed.

"I know."

"One of these days, can we just not do them anymore?"

"Not do what anymore?" Liam asked quizzical. Delia moved so that she could face him.

"Be a part of the Slayer Organization." She clarified. "I mean, the most we spend time together is when we are on mission. And usually then, we don't do anything couple related."

"We had that vacation in Paris." Liam countered.

"But that was just it. Only Paris. Nothing else. And even then we had to go out and kill something and save a lot of people. I just don't want to do that for once."

"Yeah I know. I wish that could change."

"It can." She said placing a hand on his cheek and kissing him. "We could leave and never do anything apocalypse related again."

"You know that's never going happen. No matter where we go, we will always have to fight some sort of darkness. Always have to save people that are in mortal danger."

"And that's more of what I want. I want to live in a town and be its protector. Maybe a city. We could still fight the good fight and be more of couple. We could even start a family."

"I like the idea of just being protectors over a city or a town. But…." He trailed off.

"But what?" she asked looking confused. Liam took in a breathe.

"Kathy and I were talking and we came up with an idea."

"What idea?" Delia was getting worried.

"An idea where I would infiltrate The Crows and find Pessimus and his boss and we take them out." Delia looked down and bit her lip. Liam knew that she was mad. "I'm sorry but we don't have any better ideas."

"I do." Delia said getting up and facing him. "Don't do it. Not only would you be away from me, but you could potentially get yourself killed."

"Not if I keep up the act." Liam said getting up too. "I was raised by the world's best actor. All I need to do is acted a little like Angelus and I'm sold. That's what The Crows are looking for."

"But why you? Why not Bill or Kathy or Collin? Anyone of them could do it. Hell even Danni could pull some magic trick and get whatever we need in a matter of hours."

"We thought of that already. Kathy doesn't bring out her inner demona as much as I have. Collin is just a normal guy. Bill's too much like his father and has no powers. And they'll sense any magic going on if Danni does her stuff. I'm the best choice. I have more experience dealing with Angelus. I know what he's like. I can pull him off." Delia didn't look happy. "Deli." Liam said putting a hand to her face. "It won't be forever. I promise…after this last mission, we leave. We'll go to some town or city we both love and stay there. Be it protectors. After this, we'll have our dream. I promise." Delia looked at him with a hopeful look.

"You promise?"

"I promise." He said cupping her face and kissing her. She kissed back and once again the kiss got heated. And once again, Liam got a message. Delia pulled away and sighed. Liam took out his phone and turned it off. He looked at his data pad on his arm and turned it off too. Delia looked at him after what he just did. "No interruptions." He said. "Just you and me." Delia smiled and they went back to kissing. The kiss got heated again and they fell over with Delia on top. They both laughed as they started to slowly take each other's cloths off. Before Delia finished with buttons on Liam's shirt, he pulled away and stared at her. "I love you." He said to her.

"And I love you." She said back and they continued undressing each other.

…

**Day Time**

**Slayer HQ, Scotland**

**August 15, 2030**

It had been a week since her death. It had been a week since Liam plunged that knife into Kathy's heart and watched her life leave her eyes. If there was a competition between him and his father on who could brood more, Liam just won it. He hadn't left his room since he got back to base after the failed plan. People tried to talk to him about the event, but to no avail. To only person who got far was Delia. She got Liam to talk to her when no one else could get him to talk period.

Delia walked into his room with a tray of food for him. She saw him slumped in the corner like he always was. He had his head leaning on the wall, staring off into space. Delia hated to see Liam cry, but this was ten times worst. Danni and Collin had described how his father had brooded over the years. This was just like it. Liam felt so guilty. Especially after they had founded out that The Crows knew that Liam was a spy. All that work they did, all for nothing. All did was end the life of someone they all loved.

Delia had come to love Kathy like her own sister. Kathy loved her back. She though that Delia was good for Liam. She had said a number of times that Liam should propose to her. Liam thought about doing it on several occasions, but didn't find the right moment. Was there ever going to be one now. Liam thought about how Delia could be with someone who had killed their own sister willingly. Liam wondered why he even deserved Delia after all that.

Delia set the tray down on the coffee table of Liam's room and walked over to him. For the first few days, Delia just sat the food in front of Liam and left the room. She would come back to find that it hadn't been touched, or some of the floor had been eaten already. Liam felt so miserable, sometimes he couldn't eat.

"Liam" Delia said. "You need to eat." Liam didn't do anything. She got up and got the tray and set down in front of him. "Liam you keep blaming yourself. You said it yourself that Kathy told you to do it to sell the deception. They had a sniper looking at you. You were in a corner."

"I could have done something" Liam finally spoke. "I could have moved fast and got Pessimus. Maybe even stop the sniper from shooting both of us."

"But you don't know that you could have. And we'll never know. All we can do is learn from this experience and move on."

"Move on to what?" Liam said finally looking at her. "We lost a valued member of the organization. How can we just move on." He practically yelled.

"You can lead us." Delia said placing a hand on his cheek and wiping away a tear. "She would have wanted you too. She even said that you were more of a leader than she was."

"I don't know how too." Liam said crying.

"No one does" Delia said hugging him and rocking him. "All we can do is learn as we go." Liam began to sob.

"I miss her Del." He cried. "I miss her so much."

"I know. I do too. "She said as a tear leaked down her face. This was the worst she had seen Liam ever. She could deal with him after Spike's and Xander's death. But not his sister's. not when it was done by his own hand. This was going to take more time than ever.

…

**Day Time**

**Slayer HQ, Scotland**

**October 3, 2030**

After about a month and a half of brooding and talking to Delia, Liam got back to work. He took control of the Spec Ops team and started helping Willow leading the organization in general. He was quite good at it too. Since his sister's death, they flew dozens of missions and had a pretty good success rate. However, through his detective skills his father taught him, he could tell that something was up. Too many times, missions just seemed too easy to accomplish. A few times that had done what seemed like incredibly dangerous missions, that usually ended with someone getting hurt or killed, without breaking a sweat. Literally. That didn't sit right with Liam. He told this to Willow and Gunn, but they both nodded it off. Saying that sometime they just got lucky. Liam didn't believe in luck unless it was a spell. He checked and there was no spell.

His suspicious grew more when Delia led a team into China and recovered an artifact that Wolfram and Hart was transporting. They had succeeded without and incident. Wolfram and Hart usually knew when something was stealing from them and they had to fight. Liam was glad that Delia was alright, but the way the mission went was unsettling.

The artifact they retrieved was in a small steel box. Willow and Gunn were trying to break into it without setting off anything dangerous. General Riley Finn was intrigued by it and wanted to help. Riley had really helped the organization since his mother had started it. He and his men had really helped out in missions and making sure that the slayers pulled it everything off without public attention. Liam was in his office looking over some paper work when Delia entered.

"hey you." She said happily.

"hey." He said back. Not sounding as happy.

"Uh-oh. I know that look. What's up?" she said grabbing a chair and sitting next to him.

"I'm looking at your after action report. Something doesn't seem right to me." He said flipping through pages.

"What is there it sit right with? Besides me?" she said playfully. Liam sighed and turned to her.

"Things haven't sat right with me since I took over. Missions are getting easier, slayers are getting cocky."

"Maybe were just that good." She said getting up and straddling him. "After all, we are the best army that good ever had."

"Maybe so. But I can't help but feel that there's something there and I can't see it."

"What is there to worry about. We get the jobs done. That's that. It even seems like evil wants us to win." She laughed. This got Liam's attention.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"We get the job done." She said.

"No, after that. You said it seemed like evil wanted us to win."

"Yeah. So?"

"Has that ever happen before? Like it seemed like evil wasn't trying its fullest when we attack." Delia thought about this and saw where Liam was heading.

"You think they're letting us win." She sounded worried.

"I think they want us to win. But why? I mean why let us get…." He trailed as thought popped into both of their heads.

"The box" the both said together. They jumped up and ran of the room running to the observation room where Willow, Gunn, and Riley were. They ran as fast as they could towards it. When they go to the hallway and saw the door they were looking for, they ran faster than ever. Then an explosion came from the room and blew both of them back. Alarms went off and the entire HQ was put on alert. Liam rolled over onto his stomach and got on all fours. He had a cut on his forehead and his nose was bleeding. He looked around a saw Delia siting up. She had a few cuts and what seemed to be a dislocated shoulder. They both got up.

"I knew it was too easy." Liam said. All of a sudden, they heard gun fire. They ran to a blown out window and saw The Crows army invading their fortress and taking out defensive positions. "This was their plan. Make us be so cocky and then surprise us with a full throttle assault."

"We have to fight back." Delia said.

"No. They're too powerful now. We have to evacuate the facility. We need to get to the others." They ran through the halls of the HQ looking for the rest of their team. They were in charge now. They found them in the Ops room looking at reports and trying to figure out what happened. Danni noticed them first.

"Guys!" She said looking worried. "What happen?"

"The box we recovered was a fucking bomb." Delia explained. "Danni, you moms dead." Danni looked horrified and slumped into a chair. Bill and Collin both looked down in sorrow.

"Hey!" Liam said taking charge. "Pull it together. We can mourn later. Right now we need to evacuate the facility. Bill, contact any and all other facilities and see if they have the same problem. Collin, I need to you to organize what people we have left and initiate an evacuation order over the entire compound and set up a rendezvous point for all surviving members." Liam turned to Danni who was crying. "Danni" he kneeled down to her. "We can't do anything for your mom now. But we need to get everyone out of here and come up with a plan. Otherwise, your mom's death would have meant nothing." Danni nodded and composed herself. She was tough. She could take anything that was thrown at her. Just like her mom. "I need you gather what people you can destroy our records room. If they get a hold of it, they will know everything about us and destroy us in less than a week."

"I can do better than that. "Danni said and her eyes turned black.

"Danni." Colin said coming over. "Don't do this. Don't make the same mistake that your mom made." a second later, they heard several explosions and Danni's turned back to normal.

"All important rooms have been destroyed." She said.

"Good" Liam said. "Have a VTOL ship ready to go in five." Liam went over to a console and spoke into the speaker system. "Attention all personal. This is commander Summer's. Initiate evacuation order April. I repeat evacuation order April. Everyone get the hell out of here!" he said. He turned back to his team. "Lets go." They moved out of the console room and made it to the hanger where fighting was going on between the demon army and the slayers. They fought their way to the VTOL ship and got in. Bill too the controls and everyone strapped themselves in. they took through the hanger as a number of other ships did. As they got out into the open, they saw the devastation that was The Crows army. Liam turned to Bill. "What about the other facilities?"

"Nothing but static." Bill responded. "They must have gotten to them too." Liam looked back to the others in dismay.

"What now boss?" Collin asked.

"I don't know guys." Liam said. "I don't know."

…

**Night Time?**

**Roads of Southern California**

**November 12, 2030**

Lam and his team were in a van heading down a road in California. They sky outside was growing red. The apocalypse was coming. It was practically here. Wolfram and Hart planned it out so well. Take out the Slayer Organization in one swoop, and then spread to all points of the globe. The box that they had recovered had a tracer in it that helped Wolfram and Hart track down the where the Slayer HQ was. Once they were in range to attack, they detonated the bomb, taking out a large chunk of the fortress they were in, killing a lot of slayers and disorganizing the rest. The Crows had spies on the inside, taking out the defenses so that all the army had to do was swoop in undetected. Every slayer facility around the world was attacked. Only a handful of survivors were out their fighting. Liam and his team had Dawn organize them into one place to regroup and reorganize. But they were losing time. The last bit of intel they had gotten told them that Wolfram and Hart had a date for when the apocalypse would be complete. New Year's Day. Great way to kick off the New Year.

They had a plan to stop Wolfram and Hart. It was really risky, but it was all they had. Bill, who was driving, looked over to Liam, who was in the passenger's seat, looking out of his window at the desert they were going through. Then he looked into his rear view mirror and saw Danni and Delia sitting in the middle, looking scarred and sad. It was a troubling time for all of them. He looked further and saw Collin in the backseat staring out into the front. This had been the worst they felt in a long time. Bill looked back at Liam who looked thoughtful.

"Thinking about them?" Bill asked him. Liam looked at his cousin who considered to be his brother.

"Every single one." Liam said.

"I do too. I miss them. Especially my parents."

"We all do." Danni said.

"Tell me again why we are doing something this big." Collin asked.

"Because we have no other choice." Liam answered. "We have but a couple hundred slayers. All other magical beings are either dead or have left this dimension. We are out of options."

"But what about Danni just going all black and scary and…."

"No." everyone said at once. That wasn't an option. If Danni did that, she may take out Wolfram and Hart, but who can stop her. She was even more powerful than her mother.

"But you're talking about time traveling. You know how those movies go. Try to fix one thing and you might make the future worse."

"We took the precaution." Danni said.

"Dawn told us everything that was crucial to Wolfram and Harts uprising and the fall of the Slayers." Liam added. "It all started back when Buffy was killed. If she hadn't died, Angel wouldn't have forgotten about his destiny and would never have closed himself off from the world. He was key in Wolfram and Harts downfall then and should have been long ago."

"We save Buffy." Delia said.

"We save Angel" Danni added.

"We save the future." Bill finished.

"And aren't we all going?" Collin asked.

"Because the rest of you need to stay here and keep Wolfram and Hart busy while I finish my job." Liam responded. "If we all go, they might thin k something's up."

"What if they figure it out and go back to get you?"

"Then they'll die."

"We're here" Bill said and slowed down. Bill stopped the van at a rock formation that wasn't far from where Sunnydale used to be. they all got out and looked around, making sure that no one was around looking for them.

"Ok" Liam said. "Let's go to work. Bill, start carving. Danni, get the stuff ready. Collin, be on guard. And Delia, come with me." he gave the orders and everyone did what they were told. Liam led Delia away from the group to behind the rock formation and looked at her. She looked back with both care and concern in her eyes.

"I don't want you to go." She said.

"I know. I wish I didn't either." Lam said.

"Then let someone else do it."

"You know that I'm the one with the best chance at success."

"You can do that here."

"No I can't. We've lost here. There is no chance for us here." He placed a hand on her cheek. "The only way we can be together to have that dream we want is if I go back. Fix what needs to be fixed so that everything will be alright." She touched his hand that was on her cheek.

"And you'll come back?" she said with tears forming.

"Of course I will. I could never not comeback to my wife." She looked confused.

"Wife?" Liam reached into his pocket and pulled out the Claddagh rings that once belonged to his parents.

"I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore. I want to be your husband." He got down on one knee and held up the rings. "Delia Winters, will be my wife?" she looked at him stunned. Then nodded her head crying.

"Yes." She said. Liam got up and placed the ring for her, on her left ring finger, with the heart pointing to her fingers. He did the same thing himself. She looked at the ring lovingly. "They're beautiful."

"They're Claddagh rings. My father gave one to my mother on her seventeenth birthday and again when they got married. The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty, and the heart represents love. The way you wear it tells everyone your marital status. If it's on the left hand, with the heart pointing to your fingers, like it is now, it tells everyone you're engaged. If it's pointing to you wrist, it means your married." Liam explained. Delia looked at the ring and took it off. Liam was surprised until she put it back on with the heart pointing to her wrist. She looked back at him with a smile.

"Let's have our own right now." She said. Liam nodded and switched his ring too. The n he held her hands in his.

"Delia Winters, do you take me to be your loving Husband, now and forever more?" he recited the wedding vow.

"I do." She said with tears in her eyes. "Do you, Liam Summers, take me to be your loving wife, now and forever more?" she recited.

"I do." They both smiled and kissed each other lovingly. It wasn't a perfect wedding. Or how their wedding would be, but it would do for the both of them.

"Liam, Del, It's time." They heard Collin yell to them. They parted and looked at each other lovingly.

"It's time." Liam said. Delia nodded and they both walked, hand in hand, to the rest of the group. On the ground, Bill had carved a circle with ruins and patterns. Danni had gotten the ingredients need for the spell to work. Liam went to the van and pulled out his bag for the trip. He didn't have much. He wasn't going to need a lot. He looked upon his family that he grew up with. He was going to miss all. He went over to Bill and hugged him. Bill hugged back.

"Take care of them." Liam said.

"I will." Bill promised. The parted and Liam went to Danni and hugged her.

"Give Wolfram and Hart hell. And all the boys that hit on you an apocalypse." He said smiling. Danni laughed.

"I will." She said with tears in her eyes. They parted and Liam went to Collin and stood there.

"I can't imagine what are lives would be like without you." He said to Collin. "And I wouldn't ahvenit any other way." They hugged.

"You just save our time." Collin said.

"I will" They parted and Liam went to his 'wife'. "I love you."

"I love you too." They hugged and kissed. Lingering to remember the feeling. They parted and looked at each other.

"Remember our deal." Liam told her.

"If nothing by Christmas." She told him.

"Exactly." He replied. He grabbed his bag and went into the circle looking at his family. "I love you all. Take care of one another." He said to them. They all nodded and Danni came over and gave Liam the incantation he needed to perform the spell. He took it and looked at his family one more time. "Let's do this." Danni sat in her position ready when Liam was. Liam started to read the incantation.

_Vicis , Tractus , permoveo mihi per_

_Take mihi tergum ut_

_vicis Volo praecessi_

_locus Volo scio_

A swirl of sand began circling around Liam and the circle he was standing in. He looked back to his family again and saw Danni and Delia crying. Bill and Collin were fighting back tears. Liam waved to his family as they wave to him. Liam shed a single tear before his hand disintegrated into the whirling sand and the rest of his body followed suit. The sand whirled around the circle for a few more second before dropping down on the ground. The circle carving wasn't there anymore.

…

**Night Time**

**Outskirts of Sunnydale, California**

**August, 2000**

A whirl of sand erupted below the base of the rock formation. The sand whirled around and started collecting together forming a figure. Liam suddenly stood where he would stand 30 years from now. The sand dropped down, as did Liam who puked what ever he had in his stomach. Which was nothing and that felt worse.

"You told me not to eat, Danni" Liam panted. "I followed like you said. Didn't help." He got back up and looked around. He looked to the sky and saw that it was its natural shade of black or blue. He saw the stars and the moon. He was really back in time.

…

Liam woke up form his dreams. He sat up panting and sweating. He wiped sweat from his forehead and looked over at the clock on his bedside table. It read _10:56_. He had been a sleep all night. Once he composed himself, he put his feet over the bed and sat there with his face in his hand. He looked at it and saw the claddagh ring. His wedding ring. He missed his wife desperately. He hadn't worn the ring since he got back. He didn't want to attracted attention from his parent and then have to explain himself. He sighed and placed the ring back in its box and under his pillow. There was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Liam asked.

"It's me." He heard his mother say.

"Come in." Buffy opened the door and smiled at him. He smiled back. She noticed the sweat and that he was tired.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Rough night. It's nothing." He said getting up. "So what's going on with you?"

"Well, Xander is fixing that window that Spike was thrown through yesterday and I though about going to see him. And then mom and I are going out and looking at wedding dresses." She said excitedly.

"Wedding dresses? Do you know who your bridesmaids are?"

"I do. Dawn, Anya, and Tara. With Willow being the maid of honor."

"That's good."

"Yeah. I don't what your father has in mind for his groom maids and his best man."

"My guess, Wesley, Gunn, maybe me. With Spike as best man."

"I still can't get over the fact that they get along in the future."

"They're getting along now."

"Yeah I know. Weird. So do you wanna come?"

"I'm actually still a little tired after yesterday. I think I'll pass."

"Ok. I guess I'll go then." She turned and went for the door.

"Have fun, mom." He called to her.

"You know I will. It's shopping." She said smiling and closing the door. Liam sighed.

"Weddings" he whispered. Hope my next one will be better." He turned and started making coffee.

…

Buffy entered her house after talking to Xander about April.

"Hey, Mom." She called. She turned and saw some flowers on the table beside the door. "Ooh." She opened the card that came with the flowers. It read, 'Thank you for a lovely evening. See you soon? Brian.' "Still a couple of guys gettin' it right." She said to herself. She turned to call up the stairs, putting down her jacket. "Hey, mom. You ready to go? Buffy frowned, after no response and looked down the hall toward the kitchen. "Mom?" She turned and looked in the living room. "What are you doing?" she asked walking into the living room, then stopped. Joyce was lying on the sofa. Her eyes were open, staring sightlessly at the ceiling. One arm hung loosely over the edge of the sofa. She wasn't moving or blinking. "Mom? Mom? Mommy?"

**Tell me what you thin about Liam and Delia. I wanted Liam to have like a love interest so that's what this chapter was about. Delia Winters is the name of a viewer who loved Liam so much she wanted to marry him. I asked her if she wanted to be in the story and she said yes. Caught a few of you off guard because you thought it was Cordelia hunh? Next Chapter is back with the canon. This is the last Liam chapter of the story. There will be some in the sequel. Yes there is a sequel. Season 6. Comment and Review.**

**Translation for the time traveling spell:**

_**Time, Space, move me through**_

_**Take me back to**_

_**The time I wish to go**_

_**The place I wish to know**_


	23. The BodyForever

Chapter 23: The Body/ Forever

**This wasn't one of my favorite episodes. The both of them weren't. Not just because it was hard to put Liam in here, but because of Joyce. I felt sad the first time I watched these episodes. If you don't like them, it's ok. I understand. I don't really like them either. But still, Enjoy.**

Buffy entered her house after talking to Xander about April.

"Hey, Mom." She called. She turned and saw some flowers on the table beside the door. "Ooh." She opened the card that came with the flowers. It read, 'Thank you for a lovely evening. See you soon? Brian.' "Still a couple of guys gettin' it right." She said to herself. She turned to call up the stairs, putting down her jacket. "Hey, mom. You ready to go? Buffy frowned, after no response and looked down the hall toward the kitchen. "Mom?" She turned and looked in the living room. "What are you doing?" she asked walking into the living room, then stopped. Joyce was lying on the sofa. Her eyes were open, staring sightlessly at the ceiling. One arm hung loosely over the edge of the sofa. She wasn't moving or blinking. "Mom? Mom? Mommy?"

…

Liam was drinking coffee at his apartment and reading the local newspaper. It was kind of a nice change of pace. Instead of reading and doing things on his phone, he was doing things the old fashion way. Just like how Delia liked it. He was busy doing a crossword puzzle when his current time phone rang. He answered it.

"Hello." He said.

"Liam." Gile's voice said.

"Hey grandpa. Hey do you know what's a five letter word for harbinger of the departed?"

"Liam, I don't have time for that now." Giles interrupted him. This got Liam's attention.

"What is it?" he asked putting the newspaper down.

"It's…It's your grandmother."

"What happen? Is she ok?" Liam was getting anxious.

"She…your mother…" Giles didn't know how to tell him.

"Giles just spit it out."

"She…Liam she's dead." Liam sat there, horrified. "Your mother found her. From what the paramedics said, she likely died from an aneurysm. I'm sorry." Liam didn't say a word. "Liam?" Giles asked. "Liam." Liam hung up and set the phone down. He picked up his crossword puzzle and a pencil and looked at his word again. _'Harbinger of the departed'_ it read. It was five letters. Liam lifted his pencil and wrote _death_ in the spaces. He set the pencil down and stared at the word. Yesterday he felt sad. This morning he felt sad. Right now, he just went from sad to angry in five seconds. He gripped the newspaper tightly and slammed it on the table. He got out of his chair and lifted the table up, flipping it over. He went to the coffee table and flipped it as well. He went to the bed and flipped over the mattress. When he didn't see anything else to flip, he went to the bookcase he had and started flinging books across the room. When he ran out of books, he looked frantically for anything else to throw or flip. He found nothing and went to his equipment belt. He took out his axe and threw it at the door. He took out his knife and flung it at the wall. When he didn't have anything else to throw, he went over to the wall and started to punch it repeatedly. He punched it so hard, so many times, he made a big gapping hole. He kept on punching, but the punches slowed. Each grunt he made started to become a sob. His eyes that had filled with anger and fire, were now filled with sorrow and tears. He stopped punching and leaned his head on the wall and began to cry. He slumped down and curled into a ball, crying in his now destroyed apartment.

…

Giles was worried about Liam when he called. After the corner took Joyce's body to the hospital for examination, he drove Buffy to Dawns school so that she could tell her. Then he went to Liam's apartment to talk to him. He got there and knocked on the door slowly. He didn't receive a reply. He knocked again but nothing. He decided to risk it and opened the door. What was inside surprised him. The apartment was a wreck. He saw the tables and the bed was overturned Giles saw the axe embedded in the door and the knife in the wall. He saw the hole that Liam had punched. He took a step into the apartment to investigate what caused it. Then he saw Liam in the corner by the couch, slumped in a crouched position, just staring off into space. Mush like he was after Kathy's death.

"Liam" Giles said coming over and kneeling down. "When you didn't answer I got worried." Liam didn't say anything. Giles looked around at the destroyed apartment. "Did you do all this?" Liam still didn't say anything. Giles understood now. "Liam, you were never told. You never knew if Joyce was alive in your time or not. You didn't know how and if she died. You are not to be blamed for this." Again, Liam failed to say anything. He just blinked and sat there. "Your mother and your aunt need you now at this time." Silence. Giles though that it was useless at this point. "Perhaps you need time. We'll be at the hospital for the next few hours if you need us. I'll let your mother know you're alright." Giles got up and headed for the door but stopped and turned to Liam. "It would be nice if you came and help comfort your family. That's really all anyone needs at this time is family." Giles finished and left closing the door behind him. Liam just sat there, not moving.

…

After a fiasco with a vampire and Dawn trying to see Joyce at the hospital, Buffy decided to go see her son. Giles had told her in private that Liam didn't take the news well. He had destroyed his apartment and was just sitting in a corner. Buffy felt like she needed to go talk to him. Giles had tried but failed. Maybe Buffy could get through to him. She got to his apartment and knocked on the door. She received no reply. Giles told her to expect this. She opened the door and saw the wrecked apartment. She saw the table and bed overturned, the hole in the wall that Liam punched, the knife in the wall and the axe in the door. She saw Liam slumped in the corner, exactly where Giles said he would be found. But what shocked her was the fact that Liam had his gun in his hand.

"Liam." Buffy said. He didn't reply. Buffy remembered what Liam had said to her on her birthday. If another family member died, he would die. Buffy knew what he was going to do. "Liam, don't do this." She said coming forward. "I know that you didn't know. I know that you wished you could have done something, but the doctors said that we couldn't do anything. There was nothing we could have done." Liam lifted his head and looked at his mother. Buffy saw the redness of his eyes from crying. "Liam, I know that you feel like it's your fault. I do too. But you can't turn to suicide all because you couldn't save my mother. You came back to save the rest of us. To save your future. Our future. Life is hard and unfair. But what gets us through it is fighting everyday to make them better." Liam just stared at her. "That's the whole reason you came back. It was to make things better. But if you are too much of a coward to save billions of lives all because you couldn't save your own grandmother from a natural death then…." Liam raised his gun a pointed it at the opposite wall. Buffy looked and saw that it had a few dozen bullet holes in it. She looked back at Liam and looked around him. What she didn't notice before, she did now. She saw three discarded gun magazines and many bullet casings. She looked back at Liam. He simply stared at her.

"You're about an hour late for that speech." He said. Buffy knelt down next to him.

"Did you try to kill yourself?" She asked. Liam looked to the opposite wall and nodded his head.

"For the first shot, yeah. The rest was just pent up anger." He tossed the gun away, leaned back, and sighed. "I know that I shouldn't blame myself. There was nothing I could do. I had a feeling she would die after hearing about the tumor. I just thought it was avoided because of the success of the surgery." He shook his head. "Shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. I shouldn't blame myself but I can't help but do so. I'm the one from the future. I'm the one who should be able to warn people, help people, save people." He stopped and chuckled a little. "We have a lot of advancements in technology and medicine in the future. Better treatment programs for diseases. But I don't think we have anything to help with aneurysms." Buffy leaned forward and hugged her son. He hugged back. "I'm sorry mom."

"It's not your fault. You didn't know. You shouldn't blame yourself."

"You either." He said and they pulled away. "How's Dawn?"

"Shaky. I think she's getting through it."

"She'll probably start hating me when she sees me next."

"Maybe. But all you have to do is explain to her that you didn't know and that there was still nothing you could have done."

"I have a feeling she'll yell at me." He shrugged. "Whatever I guess." They just sat there together for a minute. "Have you called dad yet?"

"No I haven't. It's been a rough day. I might call him tomorrow."

"Call him tonight." Liam said. "I have a feeling you'll need him." Buffy nodded.

"Do you wanna come back to my house? It's you home too you know."

"I know. I'll…..I'll meet you there. I just wanna….sit for a little while longer."

"Ok" Buffy said getting up. "I'll always be here for you. You know that right?"

"I do. Thank you." Buffy nodded again and left the apartment. Liam sighed again before getting up and gathering his belongings. This was his last night here. He was done with the apartment. He was going to be closer to his family now. He'll probably move into the mansion. Maybe even invite Spike to live with him for some company. After gathering everything he owned, he turned to leave. When he got to the door, he turned around and saw the wrecked apartment. He raised his hand a waved it. Everything started to move. It looked like everything was moving backwards as if someone had pressed a rewind button on a tape. The tables went back to the way they were. The bed moved back into place. The hole sealed up. The bullets in the wall came out and mended themselves so they were in perfect shape and went into there casings that went into the magazines. The magazines moved to there perspective pouches. Liam looked back at the now cleaned up apartment. Just in case he ever wanted to come back. He nodded and left the apartment.

…

Buffy and Angel hadn't seen their son for a few days. They knew that it was just his way of dealing with everything. Buffy had gone out with Giles and Dawn and got a coffin for Joyce's funeral. Later that night, they were all sitting in the dining room. Buffy, Angel, and Giles were sitting side-by-side at the end of the table, looking at paperwork. Xander sat on the left eating.

"I checked prices at different florists, and the funeral home seems to be fairly competitive." Giles said.

"Let's just go with that, it's easier." Buffy said.

"What color flowers?" Dawn asked, sitting at the other end of the table.

"Uh, white." Angel responded. "They're nice." Willow entered from the kitchen with a pitcher of water, poured a glass, and sat opposite of Xander.

"Uh, what about an announcement?" Buffy asked. "People are gonna be expecting a wake after the burial unless we say something."

"Um, well, we could put a, a line in the program expressing your mother's preference not to have one." Giles said.

"There's no wake?" Willow asked.

"Mom didn't like them." Buffy said. "She said that potlucks are depressing enough as it is."

"She said that?" Dawn asked. "When?"

"Uh, right before she went in for the operation." Buffy said. "We had a talk about what she wanted ... in case." She looked down.

"She never said anything to me."

"I'm sure she just didn't wanna upset you, Dawnster." Xander said. "Now you better get to work on that dinner. You barely touched it."

"You really should eat something." Angel said.

"Why should I" Dawn asked. "She's not." She indicated to Buffy.

"Dawn, this isn't about…" He was but off as the cordless phone on the table rung. Buffy sighed and looked to Angel.

"I'm all phoned out." She said. "Will you? Unless it's my dad."

"Of course." Angel got up and answered the phone. Buffy returned to the papers. "Hello? Yes they did." Buffy looked at him. "Thank you. The, uh, funeral is at, uh, three tomorrow. Do you know the Brown Brothers mortuary?" Angel walked out of the room, still talking. Buffy and Dawn looked disappointed.

"Can't believe he still hasn't called." Buffy said.

"Your dad's still AWOL, huh?" Xander asked.

"The number he left for us in Spain is no good, and I've left messages everywhere." She went back to the paper work. "Um, how about a line that just says, 'Following the burial, there will be no wake'? Or gathering? 'At the request of Joyce, there will be no gathering'? Uch, that sounds lame." Buffy put a hand to her forehead.

"I'm sure that whatever you put will suffice." Giles said. Willow gave Buffy a concerned look. She looked at Dawn, got up and began clearing the table.

"What are we gonna do?" Dawn asked. "After, I mean. Are we just gonna ... come back here?"

"Uh ... I, I don't know." Buffy said. "I guess so. Um, how about 'At the request of the family, there will be no wake.'"

"Good," Xander said. "Yeah, it's got, uh..."

"I don't wanna be here." Dawn said to herself.

"Should I put it at the top, or just a small line at the bottom?" Buffy said not hearing her sister. Giles, Xander, and Buffy bent over the paperwork. Willow re-entered, resuming her clearing.

"Can I go to your place tomorrow?" Dawn asked her.

"Tomorrow?" Willow asked.

"After everything."

"Um, well, maybe you and Buffy should ... I-I don't mind."

"Can I?" she asked Buffy.

"Huh?" Buffy asked looking up from discussing with Xander.

"Can I go to Willow's tomorrow after the service?" Buffy looked at Willow uncertained.

"Um ... i-if you want to. I guess so."

"I'll, uh, get my sleeping bag out of the attic." Dawn got up and left. Buffy returned to her paperwork. Willow and Xander left the house a little while later. Xander closed the door and they started walking down the porch steps.

"You going home?" Xander asked Willow.

"I'm gonna stop by my mom's first." Willow said. "Been doing that a lot lately."

"Yeah. I actually might stop by your mom's too." Willow looked at him. "Well, I'm not going to 'my' place. Those people are scary." He looked up. "Speaking of." They saw Spike and Liam coming up the walkway, both were holding a bunch of flowers. "You have got to be kidding." Spike sighed.

"Look, we're just here to pay our respects." Spike said.

"Great, but you aren't leaving those. You actually think you're gonna score points with Buffy this way?

"This isn't about Buffy."

"Bull. We're all hip to your doomed obsession."

"There is no obsession. They're for Joyce."

"Like you care about her." Xander said. Spike sighed angrily. Willow stepped between them.

"Guys, guys, not here." Willow said.

"Care?" Spike went on. "Joyce was the only one of the lot of you that I could stand."

"And she's the only one with a daughter you wanted to shag." Xander countered. "I'm touched."

"I liked the lady. Understand, monkey boy? She was decent." Xander and Willow exchanged a look. "She didn't put on airs. She always had a nice cuppa for me." Willow looked sympathetic. "And she never treated me like a freak."

"Her mistake. OW!" Liam had snuck around and slapped Xander on the back of the head.

"He doesn't have a card with the flowers monkey boy." Liam said angrily. "And as a matter of fact, we both called Buffy before we got here. We asked if we could come and pay our respects and she said yes. So stop trying to be her damn bodyguard cause frankly, she actually likes us." Xander stared at him looking surprised. Willow look stunned. "Come on Spike. Family's expecting us." Liam turned and went to the house. Spike followed suit giving Xander a look. They knocked on the door and Angel answered.

"Liam, Spike, glad you guys are here." Angel said.

"Can we come in?" Spike asked. "We didn't really like the welcoming party you had." He pointed with his thumb to Xander and Willow who were still standing there looking at them.

"Yeah sure, come one in." Angel said. He moved so that Spike and Liam could enter.

"These are for her." Liam said holding the flowers. Spike did the same.

"Thank you." Angel said and took the flowers and headed for the kitchen. Spike walked up to Buffy.

"Hey pet. How ya holdin?" he asked.

"I'm getting through it." she answered and got up. "Thank you for coming."

"What's family for?" Spike said. Buffy hugged him and he hugged back. Liam leaned on the wall and bowed his head. "How's nibblet?" Spike asked pulling out of the hug.

"I'm dealing." Dawn said entering the dining room. Spike gave her a sympathetic look and hugged her too. Dawn hugged back tight and closed her eyes. Angel came out of the kitchen and watched the scene before him. Dawn opened her eyes and they landed on Liam who was next to them. He still had his glasses on, so he took them off and looked at the floor. Dawn pulled out of the hug but didn't take her eyes off of Liam.

"Did you know?" Dawn asked him. Liam looked up and stared at her. Everyone else looked too. "Did you know she was going to die?" Liam bowed his head and bit his lip.

"I though she would live after the surgery." He said looking up. Dawn closed her eyes fighting tears.

"You didn't know she was going to die?" Spike asked.

"No I didn't."

"How could you not know?" Dawn asked angrily through gritted teeth.

"Dawn." Buffy said coming forward. "He didn't know because he was never told the story."

"He should have known." Dawn yelled. "Why didn't he ask why he didn't have grandmother in the future?" she looked to Liam. "How come you didn't know? Or was it because you knew and you just didn't do anything?"

"You know that's no true Dawn." Liam said standing straight. "I didn't know because no one told me. With everything that went on in my life, I was a little more focused on fighting and mourning over the family that died in front of me."

"So you just didn't care about hunh?" Dawn said with tears forming.

"No. I cared about her." Liam yelled. "If I knew about her death and I had the resources to save her, I would have done so. She was my grandmother."

"You still should have done something. You're the one with the future knowledge. You know how to do all this stuff we can't. You should have done something."

"I know." Liam said stepping forward and hugging Dawn. She fought back.

"Don't touch me. You don't care about us." She cried.

"Of course I do." He whispered to her.

"LIAR!" she screamed and then stopped her struggling and started sobbing. Liam just held her and she cried. Everyone else stood staring at them both. Liam stood there, holding his aunt as a tear fell down his face.

"I would do anything for you." Liam said. Dawn hugged her nephew and continued to cry.

…

The next morning was the funeral. The gang and many of Joyces friends stood around the coffin. Buffy and Dawn were standing together away from the group, close to the coffin. Liam would have joined them, but it would have brought on some suspicion with the group. He already had enough from Xander. He didn't need more. It was sunny out, so Angel couldn't make it. The minister began the eulogy.

"We commend to almighty God, our sister, Joyce Summers, and we commit her body to the ground. Earth to earth... ashes to ashes...and dust to dust. Dawn winced at the ashes part. A shovel was dug into earth. Dawn suddenly turned and buried her face in Buffy's shoulder. Buffy put her arms around Dawn, still staring at the coffin. "The Lord bless her and keep her. The Lord makes his face to shine upon her and be gracious to her. The Lord lift up his countenance upon her, and give her peace."

The minister finished the eulogy and everyone started hugging Dawn ad Buffy. After it was done, Buffy and Dawn still stood alone, looking at the grave. Dawn turned away from Buffy and walked over to Willow and Tara. Tara moved over to Buffy and tapped her gently on the shoulder.

"Hey, um, Dawn's kind of ready to go." She said. "Can we take her with us?"

"Yeah." Buffy said. "She should probably get out of here."

"What about you? We can wait if you want."

"I'm fine. Thank you." Tara rejoined the others, whispered to them and they turned to leave. Dawn looked back over her shoulder at Buffy as they lead her away. Once they were gone, Liam took off his glasses and came over standing next to his mother.

"You know I would have helped her if I could." He said.

"I know." Buffy said.

"I just wish I knew. So that I could of spent more time with her. Maybe ease the pain on you guys."

"There was nothing you could have done to ease the pain. It'll still come and hit hard."

"I know. I just meant, I wish I could have prepared you guys. Get you all set for it. Not let it be so…." he sighed heavily.

"I know you mean well Liam. You care a lot about your family. That's why you came back." Buffy paused. "I'm just glad that she got to know who you really were. To know that I will have a life and a family. She loved knowing that."

"I know." They stood there for a few minutes staring at the coffin. "I'm going to go now. Do you need anything?" he asked.

"No." Buffy said. Liam hugged and kissed his mother before leaving. Buffy still stood there staring at the grave with a small frown on her face. Before she knew it, it was dark. She heard a set of feet walking from behind hear, but she didn't turn. She knew who it was.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner." Angel said standing beside her staring at the grave. Buffy didn't look at him, but she nodded slightly and slipped her hand into his. They stood there looking at the grave, holding hands.

…

Later, Buffy and Angel were sitting on the ground under a tree, leaning against it. Buffy had her legs curled under her and leaned against Angel's shoulder. They both look at the grave as they talk.

"The funeral was ..." she sighed. "it was brutal, but it's tomorrow that I'm worried about."

"What's tomorrow?" Angel asked.

"That's exactly what I don't know. Up until now, I ... I've had a road map. Things to do every minute, having to do with Mom."

"Tomorrow the stuff of everyday living resumes."

"And everybody expects me to know how to do it, because ...I'm so strong." She said sarcastically.

"You just need some time. I'm sure everybody understands that."

"Time's not the issue. I can stick wood in vampires ... but Mom was the strong one in real life. She always knew how to make things better ... just what to say."

"Yeah ... you'll find your way. I mean, not all at once, but..."

"I don't know." Buffy shook her head. "I keep thinking about it ... when I found her. If I had just gotten there ten minutes earlier..."

"You said they told you it wouldn't have made a difference."

"They said ... "probably" ... wouldn't have made a difference. The exact thing they said ... was "probably." I haven't told that to anyone."

"Doesn't make it your fault. You couldn't have done anything different." She sighed again. This time annoyed.

"I didn't even start CPR until they told me. I fell apart. That's how good I am at being a grownup."

"Buffy..."

"And it'd be okay if it was just me I had to worry about. But Dawn..."

"Look, it's okay. I know you don't feel like it now, but you are strong, Buffy. You're gonna figure this out. And you have people to help you. You don't have to do this alone."

"It's gonna be light soon." She said looking at the sky.

"I can stay in town as long as you want me."

"How's forever? Does forever work for you?" She turned her head to look at Angel. She sighed and sat up to look him in the face. "That's a bad idea. You're needed elsewhere."

"Right now I'm needed here." They look at each other, then Buffy leaned in and kissed him. They kissed softly for a moment. Then it got a little more heated and they pulled away, both breathing harder.

"I'm so grateful that you came, Angel. I didn't think I was gonna be able to make it through the night."

"Well, we still have a few more minutes until I have to go." Angel said looking at the sky.

"Good." She put her head on his chest and leaned against him. He put his arm around her shoulders. "Good." They sat there quietly together.

…

Liam was slumped on the couch at the mansion. He really felt bad. He wanted to help Joyce. He wanted to help Dawn. But he felt like that there wasn't anything he could do to help. He wished that Delia was here with him. She got him through all of his tough times. Maybe she could help Dawn through hers. Spike came into the living room wit ha bottle of bourbon in hand.

"Up for a drink?" he asked holding the bottle out to Liam.

"No thanks." Liam said.

"And you're the poof's son?" Spike laughed. "He used to drink for a livin."

"I know. I had a really bad experience with drinking when I was a teen. I swore that I would never drink again after that." Spike sat down next to him.

"Sounds like a story to be told." He said looking interested.

"More like a story to be forgotten." Spike took a swig of bourbon and they both just sat there in silence. "I really wished I'd spent more time with her."

"I know you do." Spike said taking another swig. "Just be glad that she knew that her children would grow up and be happy. For time that they were happy."

"Yeah." They sat in silence again. "I wanna go back tonight."

"Go back where?"

"to the grave. I wanna to say something's."

"You want me to go with?"

"If you want. You can say something's"

"Think I will."

…

Later that night, Liam and Spike walked to Joyce's grave to say some final words. Their trip took a turn when they saw Dawn by the grave.

"Think nibblet's saying some final words?" Spike asked.

"Maybe." Liam responded. Then his eyes fell upon a book Dawn had with her. He recognized it immediately. "Spike, recognize the totem?"

"Yeah I do." Spike said noticing the book. Dawn kneeled by the fresh grave, opening a jar. She scooped up some dirt from the grave into the jar and capped it.

"I hope its just dirt you're after." Liam said coming up behind her. Dawn turned in surprised.

"If the spell calls for anything more than that, you're into zombie territory, and that's bad news." Spike said.

"Guys, I-I wasn't..." Dawn shook her head anxiously.

"I know good and well what you're up to." Spike said.

"That book you've got is infamous. Even in my time." Liam said.

"Please ... don't tell Buffy." Dawn asked. "I just ... I have to get her back. I have to."

"We're not going tell." Liam said.

"We're not?" Spike asked surprised. Liam turned to Dawn.

"Give us a minute." Dawn nodded and Liam pulled Spike away. "I wanna help her with this."

"You know that nothing good will come of this."

"I know. But I fell like Dawn needs to do this to understand."

"Understand what?"

"That when someone's gone, they aren't gone completely. And that no one is ever alone. There's always someone there. You just need to take the time to look. I should know." Spike sighed annoyed. He knew if he'd help, Buffy would surely stake him.

"If we do this, and Buffy finds out, we're dead."

"Not if we succeed before she does. And I have a feeling that Dawn did this in my timeline and mom was he one that stopped her. If we fail, she'll succeed."

"And then kill us."

"Pray she doesn't sick Angelus on to us."

"Good point." Spike sighed. "Alright, I'll help. Can't stand to see Summer's women take it so hard."

"Thanks."

…

Spike, Liam, and Dawn were walking down the street of downtown Sunnydale.

"I've never used this bloke's services myself, but there's talk." Spike began to speak. "Word is he knows everything there is to know about resurrection spells." Dawn looked a little nervous. "Come on now, no worries."

"You don't have to be all nice to me." Dawn said. "Why are you doing this?" she asked Liam.

"You said I should have done something." Liam responded. "I know I should have. I didn't, so I'm fixing it."

"Thanks." Dawn said. They walked for a little while not talking. "She still isn't there in the future is she?" Dawn asked.

"No." Liam responded.

"Did you ever try to bring Buffy or Angel back?"

"Yeah. I tried. But I decided to just let it be."

"Why?" Liam stopped and turned to her.

"Because, I thought to myself, what would they think? What would my parents think if I brought them back from wherever they were? Would they be glad, sad, angry? I didn't know. I've of how spirits come back form beyond and grow sad the longer they stay in this world. Because they don't belong here anymore." He turned and continued walking. Dawn stood for a minute thinking about what Liam just said.

…

The three of them got to the apartment Spike talked about. A black cat jumped over a globe in the foreground and ran off as the door opened and they entered.

"This place belongs to a magic guy?" Dawn asked. "It smells like grandpa."

"That old person smell is in every old person home." Liam said. Spike closed the door.

"Hey!" Spike said. "Anybody home?" A figure moved through the curtains that led to another room. Spike, Liam, and Dawn look apprehensive. The figure emerged. He was a small elderly man wearing glasses and a bathrobe. He looked surprised to see them.

"I know you." He said to Spike.

"I don't think so, mate." Spike said.

"No, no, you're that guy, that, that guy, hangs around down at the corner mart. Big into dominoes, aren't you?" Spike looked confused.

"Can't say as I am. Look, we came here because…" the man cut him off as he laughed.

"That's crazy, isn't it? I mean, I, I, I'd swear, you were that guy. I mean, your hair's a different color and you're a vampire, but uh, other than that..."

"Maybe we should just go." Dawn said.

"No. Now, just because the lights are dim doesn't mean the juice is all gone. What can I do for you?"

"Her mom died a few days ago." Liam explained.

"Ohh. I'm so sorry."

"So we were wondering, what's to be done about it." Spike said. "Heard you were the one to ask.

"Ohh ... no, no, that's, uh, you don't wanna mess with that." the man said nervously. "Uh, I know some tonics, uh, make the grieving fly by…"

"I don't want any tonics." Dawn said.

"Any of you witches? Got any experience with, uh, spells of this magnitude?"

"I know a little bit of magic." Liam said. "Not that powerful though."

"Didn't think so." He reached out and pulled some hair from Dawn's head. She gasps.

"Ow!" she said. Spike and Liam both stepped forward but didn't do anything. The man took the hair over to a lamp and held it up to the light. Dawn gave Spike an angry look, holding the side of her head.

"Well, your mother's a good candidate, at least. Strong DNA." He said.

"Right." The man turned and began examining stuff on his shelves. He hummed the theme from Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf." Dawn watched. From underneath his bathrobe a greenish, scaly tail poked out. Dawn saw it and her eyes widened. She turned to Spike and Laim, but Spike was lighting a cigarette and Liam was looking around, not paying attention to the man. By the time Dawn caught both of their attentions, the man had turned again and the tail was hidden again.

He continued humming, looking at a pile of books, picking up a large one and he smiled triumphantly at Dawn, holding it up. He carried the book over to a table, still humming the same tune. Dawn, Liam, and Spike followed. The man put the book on the table and flipped the pages.

"I've gathered some ingredients." Dawn said. Liam eyed her. "But the spell I found ... there's things on it I don't understand."

"We've got the ghora demon standing between you and success, that's the translation you were missing."

"Ghora, I've heard of those." Spike said.

"I have too." Liam said. "Are they local?"

"Yeah, they like to stick close to the hellmouth." Then man responded as he read from the book. "Egg of the ghora gives life. It's key to the spell." He looked at Dawn

"Can you buy it, this ... egg, or…" Dawn asked.

"If it was as easy as making an omelet, everyone would try it. No. You have to steal the egg from the nest of the demon. And the ghora won't be happy about it."

"Where do we find this demon?" Liam asked.

"First things first. We'll need an image of your mother. A photo, a painting."

"No problem."

"Once you get all the ingredients together, put them in the center of a sacred circle. With the photo of your mother. Then..." he reached for a small notebook. "Say this incantation..." he began to write. "three times. She won't appear, you know, poof. It'll take ... a while, but she will come to you." He teared off the page and handed it to Dawn. "Got it?"

"Got it." she said.

"Oh. Anything goes wrong, the only way to reverse the spell ... is to destroy the image of your mother, understand?"

"I'll do it right."

"It's a tricky spell, girl. I can't say for sure your mother will come back exactly like she was. Sometimes these ... things ... get a little off."

"Tell me about it." Liam muttered. Spike looked at him

"But she'll still be my mother." Dawn said not hearing Liam. "Won't she?"

"More or less." The man answered.

"Good." Dawn, Liam, and Spike went to the door and the man followed.

"And the ghora?" Spike asked.

"Oh, right, sorry." The man said. "Um, go in the sewer entrance near Tracy Street. The opening's, um, on the left. Can't miss it. Just follow that down."

…

Spike, Liam, and Dawn were walking down a dark alley. Spike carried an axe. They came to a spot where the wall looked all slimy and rough.

"It's here. Just like he said." Dawn said.

"Let's hope everything he said pans out." Liam said.

"You better let me and Liam snatch this egg thing." Spike told Dawn.

"No way. I'm going." Dawn said.

"No ... you are not." Liam told her. "I've got no idea what's down there."

"You both need me. Somebody's gotta get the egg while you both distract the ghora. Now come on." She turned and strided into the opening. Spike shook his head, sighed and hefted his axe.

"Well, what do you know. Bitty Buffy." He said.

"She was her idol." Liam said. They followed Dawn into the hole. They reached the bottom and looked up. They saw the demon, which looked like a huge lizardy thing sleeping on a pile of rocks. They heard snoring. They moved over to the wall and hid behind some vines.

"Doesn't look so bad." Dawn said. Spike scoffed.

"Wait till it wakes up." He said. "That's usually when the bad starts." They saw the nest behind the demon's tail. There were several eggs in it, about the size and shape of footballs but pink with purple spots.

"Looks like we found them." Liam said.

"I can't get to the eggs unless it moves. No way." Dawn said.

"I'll make it move. You just be ready. Spike, how hard do you think that demons skin is?"

"Don't know. doesn't look to tough." Spike said.

"Good enough for me." Liam grinned and strided toward the demon, pulling out his gun. "Hey! Ghora! Heads up." The demon woke and sat up. It had three heads. "Heads it is." He fired his gun at the heads three times each. Demon screeched and fell to the floor dead. Liam took a few steps forward and shot the remaining bullets he had into the heads for good measure. "It's safe now." Liam called. Dawn and Spike came forward.

"Does your mum know you carry that?" Spike asked.

"Yeah. She doesn't say anything."

"Well yopu could have at least left a bit for me to brawl with."

"Next time." Dawn grabbed an egg and they headed back up the stairs.

…

Liam and Dawn went back to her house to perform the spell. Dawn was getting the ingredients in order. Liam was just standing to the side watching.

"You know you can help me right?" Dawn asked.

"I already helped enough." Liam said. "The rest is for you to do." He wasn't really talking about the spell she was doing.

"Fine. I'll finish it myself."

"Ok." Liam turned and went downstairs to the living room. He sat on the couch and sighed. He hoped that what he was doing would help. Joyce wasn't there in the future. Most likely, Dawn didn't succeed in the spell. Maybe because of Buffy. He hoped that was it.

Dawn had a sheet on the floor with a circle of candles on it, and she kneeled by it, pouring something from a vial, onto her hands. She smeared it on the sheet, drawing a circle around a cauldron in the middle.

"Osiris... giver of darkness..." Dawn started the spell. "Taker of life ... god of gods... accept my offering. Bone, flesh, breath ..." She completed the circle. "Yours ... eternally." She had a picture of Joyce, leaning against the cauldron. "Bone, flesh, breath… I beg of you...return to me." She took a shaky breath.

…

Buffy entered her hosue and put her jacket up. She looked into the living room and saw Laim just sitting there.

"Hi, honey. What are you doing?" she asked coming over. Liam sighed and looked at her wit ha guilty look. "What is it?" The phone began to ring. Buffy answered it. "Hello?" it was Willow and Tara. They told he rthat Dawn took a book that could lead to resources to bring back Joyce. Buffy hung up with a shocked expression and looked to Liam who looked even more guilty. He heard what Willow told her. "Did you help her?" Buffy asked.

"She needed to understand." Liam said after a beat. Buffy looked horrified and ran upstairs.

Back in Dawns room, the cauldron she had was filled with the blue goo from the ghora egg. Dawn was still kneeling, with her hands on her knees.

"Bone ... flesh ... breath ... yours eternally. Bone, flesh, breath, I beg of you, return to me." Dawn said. Buffy burst in.

"Dawn." Dawn didn't move. "What have you done?" She rushed over to Dawn. "What have you done?" she repeated.

"She's coming." Dawn said standing up. "She's coming home." Dawn turned and ran out of the room. Buffy reached down and picked up the picture of Joyce, stared at it for a moment, then turned and followed Dawn. Dawn rushed down the stairs with Buffy in close pursuit. Liam got up from his seat.

"Dawn! Dawn!" Buffy called to her. Dawn reached the bottom of the stairs and turned to face Buffy, who came right up in her face. "You have no idea what you're messing with. Who knows what you actually raised, what's gonna come through that door!"

"No, I-I know. It'll be her." Dawn said tearfully.

"No. Now, Tara told me that these spells go bad all the time. People come back ... wrong."

"Not Mom. He told me her DNA…"

""Who told you?" Buffy said grabbing Dawn by the upper arms. "Did Liam tell you?"

"No. Nobody, let me go." Dawn said angrily. Liam was looking at his mother and aunt with tears forming in his eyes.

"You have to stop it. Reverse it."

"No!" Dawn wrenched free of Buffy's hold, grabbed the picture of Joyce and went into the living room past Liam. Buffy followed.

"Dawn, you know this is wrong. You know you can't let this happen. Not to Mom."

"But I need her." Dawn said quietly. "I don't care if she...I'm not like you, Buffy. I don't have anybody."

"What?! Of course you do. You have me!"

"No, I don't. You won't even look at me. It's so obvious you don't want me around."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is." Dawn said harshly. "Mom ... died, and it's like you don't even care." Buffy looked shocked.

"Of course I care." She said with tears in her eyes. Liam too had tears and they started to come down. "How can you even think that?"

"How can I not? You haven't even cried. You've just been running around like it's been some big chore or something. Cleaning up after Mom's mess." Buffy slapped Dawn across the face. Dawn yelped and put her hand to her cheek. Liam gasped at the sight. Buffy put her hand over her mouth in horror.

"Dawn" Buffy said tearfully "... I've been ... working. I've been busy, because I have to…"

"No! You've been avoiding me." Dawn also had tears.

"I'm not! ... I have to do these things, 'cause ... 'cause when I stop, then she's really gone." Buffy said crying. And I'm trying. Dawn, I am, I am really trying to take care of things, but I don't even know what I'm doing. Mom always knew."

"Nobody's asking you to be Mom."

"Well, who's gonna be if I'm not? Huh, Dawn? Have you even thought about that? Who's gonna make things better? Who's gonna take care of us?" she was crying even harder.

"Buffy..."

"I didn't mean to push you away, I didn't. I just, I couldn't let you see me." Dawn began to cry too. Laim was crying silently to himself. "Oh god, Dawnie...I don't know what we're gonna do. I'm scared.

"Buffy..." There was a knock on the front door. Buffy whirled around, no longer crying.

"Mommy?" she said with a small smile.

"Buffy." Dawn looked alarmed.

"Mom." Buffy ran past Liam towards the door. Dawn swiftly picked up the photo of Joyce. She stared at the photo for an instant, then at Liam who gave her a nod. She ripped the photo in half. Buffy pulled the door open. There was no one there. Just darkened city street and the house across the street. Dawn went past Liam, who was crying, and went into the foyer. Buffy turned to look at her. "Dawn." She said her voice breaking. She began to sob. Dawn came forward and hugged her.

"It's okay." Dawn said. They sank to the floor, holding each other tightly and crying. "It's okay." Liam watched the whole scene unfold. He sniffled.

"I'm sorry" he said. Dawn and Buffy looked at him. "I shouldn't have done it. But she needed to learn. People maybe gone Dawn, but they never truly leave us. They're always there in one form or another." He began to cry again and slumped to the floor holding his head. Buffy and Dawn crawled to him and hugged him. He hugged back. The three of them sat there crying together.

**Like I said, not my favorite episodes. But don't worry, next chapter is even better. Buffybot comes in, the gang get a surprise, Liam loses something he cared about. Comment and Review.**


	24. Intervention

Chapter 24: Intervention

**Buffybot is back. Twist in the episode. Sorry for being a little late. I had school. Hope you enjoy.**

Buffy, Dawn, Angel, Liam, and Giles were in the Summers kitchen. Liam was bringing in plates and dishes from the dining room, Angel was putting discarded food in the trash, Buffy was washing dishes, and Dawn wiped. Giles walked over with a towel.

"Giles, you don't have to help. You cooked."

"Oh, come on, I quite like to cook." Giles replied. "Helping you all out makes me feel useful.

"Wanna clean out the garage on Saturday?" Dawn asked. "You can feel indispensable."

"Hmm, how tempting."

"How about I help clean the garage on Saturday." Liam said. "I'll do more of the heavy lifting."

"That could work." Dawn said. Buffy turned to Dawn.

"Dawn, if there are any plates in your room, let's have them before they get furry and we have to name them."

"Hey, I was like five then." Dawns grumbled. Liam chuckled.

"I remember doing that when I was six." He said. Dawn laughed and went upstairs.

"How's she doing? Giles asked. Buffy gave him a look. "And you?"

"I'm okay. Well, some minutes are harder than others." Buffy sighed and Angel kissed the top of her head.

"I'm so sorry. All I can say is i-it will get better."

"Will it?" she asked Liam. Liam sighed.

"All you really need is time." He said. "And loved ones to help when you're down." He smiled.

"That's why I'm here." Angel said kissing her cheek. Buffy smiled. "And it will get better."

"Yeah, it has to." Buffy said. "We're holding up though, you know, getting into a routine."

"Good, routine's good." Giles said. "In fact I was thinking that we might ... return to our training schedule."

"I don't know. I was, um, thinking about ... maybe ... taking a break or something." She put down her towel and walked into the living room. The men followed. "Just ease off for a while. Not get into full slay mode."

"But you were doing so well." Angel said.

"A-and you were great, helping me with everything. All of you are." Buffy and Angel sat on the sofa. Liam stood. Giles sat on the coffee table in front of the couple. "I'm just ... starting to feel ... uneasy about stuff."

"Like what mom?" Liam asked.

"Training. Slaying. All of it. It's just ... I mean ... I can beat up the demons until the cows come home. And then I can beat up the cows ... but I'm not sure I like what it's doing to me."

"But you've mastered so much." Giles said. "I mean, your strength and resilience alone…"

"Yeah. Strength, resilience ... those are all words for hardness." She paused. "I'm starting to feel like ... being the Slayer is turning me into stone." She looked to Angel and at Liam then back at Giles. "I'm getting married in a couple of months. I love Angel." She met Angel's anxious eyes. "I live Angel more than I thought possible." Angel smiled at her comment. She looked to Liam. "And I will have children. One of them is standing before me now, I love him to death." Liam smiled at her. "But it seems like I'm not showing much of it anymore. And now my mom is gone ... and I loved her so much ... and ... I don't know if she knew."

"Oh, she knew." Giles said putting his hand on Buffy's shoulder. "Always."

"I don't know. To slay, to kill ... i-it means being hard on the inside. Maybe being the perfect Slayer means being too hard to love at all. I already feel like I can hardly say the words."

"Don't say that mom." Liam said sitting in a chair. "Remember what i told you when we were on our way to get dad." Buffy nodded.

"My heart has no capacity to the amount of people I can love. It does have a capacity to the amount of love I can give each person. Which means that the more I try to love, the less I love the people I already do."

"Ok, I was going for optimism. I'm out." He said looking to his father and grandfather.

"Buffy." Giles said. "You're not turning to stone. We know you. You are the most loving person we have had the pleasure of knowing."

"I wouldn't have fallen in love with a stone cold hearted slayer." Angel said. "I would have been killed by her." Liam smirked.

"Giles." Buffy said standing up. "... I love you. Love ... love, love, love, love, Giles, it feels strange."

"Well, I shouldn't wonder." Giles said frowning. "How serious are you about this?" Buffy sat back on the sofa.

"Ten. I'm serious to the amount of ten."

"There is something ... in the Watchers' diaries ... a quest."

"A quest?" Buffy asked and looked to Angel who shrugged. "Like finding a grail or something?"

"Not a grail. Maybe answers. It would take a day, perhaps two."

"I'm not leaving Dawn. Not with Glory looking for her."

"Sure you can." Dawn said entering and sitting on Buffy's other side. "What's the deal?"

"Some Slayers before Buffy found it helpful in ... regaining their focus, learning more about their role. There's a sacred place in the desert. It's, it's not far."

"I know that place." Liam said.

"How do you know? I don't even know!" they all looked to Liam.

"Uh…part of my training. I went to the place." He answered.

"But I can't go." Buffy said and looking to Dawn. "I'm not leaving you, Dawn."

"What are we? Chopped liver?" Angel cried.

"Yeah, Dad and I can take care of Dawn" Liam said. "And we have Spike so that's and added bonus."

"Yeah, if you have to go learn ... I mean, if it'll help you out ... I think you should do it." Dawn said. "I can hang with the gang. I'll be okay." Buffy looked at Giles, turned to Dawn and put an arm around her, hugging her.

"I love you, Dawn. You know that, right?" she said.

"Yeah. I love you too." Dawn said. She pulled out and Buffy looked at her.

"I love you ... 'really' love you."

"Gettin' weird." Dawn said with a nervous grin.

"Sorry. But it's important that I tell you. Weird love's better than no love."

"Believe me Dawn, it is." Liam said. Both his and Angel's phones started to ring. They both got up and answered their phones.

"Hello?" they both said. "Ok…be right there." They hung at the same time.

"That was just plain weird." Buffy said.

"I have to go back to LA." Angel said. "Cordy had a vision about a guy stabbing himself with a knife. They'll need my help."

"Well that's one soldier down. "Buffy said.

"But two still remain." Liam said.

"What was your call about?"

"Contact got somethin' for me."

"Anything pertaining to the future?"

"Might be. Depends on what he's got." He turned to his father. "Dad can I talk to you privately in the kitchen?" Angel nodded and the headed into the kitchen.

"What is it?" Angel asked.

"I need a favor. Do you still have cop friends?"

"I have contacts with cop friends. Why?"

"Because, I need a case." Angel stared at his son.

…

Liam was staring at the Buffybot that Warren made. She was wearing a knee-length pleated skirt of pale pink, a blouse of darker pink, and a black jacket. Her eyes are closed as she stood there. Warren was next to him staring at it too.

"Some say it's better than the real thing." Liam said.

"Better than the real thing." Warren said nervously.

"She looks good, but what about the rest? Can she fight well?" Warren was busy packing up books.

"Hey, she's, uh, great. You'll be real happy, I swear, she's got everything you asked for. All the extra programming, tons of real-world knowledge, the profiles you gave me about her family and friends."

"'All' the extra programming, hunh?"

"Ah, the, the stuff that you wanted, the, uh, scenario responses, all of it. I was a little confused about some of them though."

"I just need the mother programming so that she can take care of the family. I'm not a freak."

"Right, whatever. Now, you said that I could leave…" Warren tried to leave, but Liam grabbed his arm.

"Wait. I'm not sure I'm a satisfied customer. I may need a demo." The Buffybots eyes pop opened.

"Liam?" it said smiling hugely. "Oh, Liam!" She hurried over to Liam and enveloped him in a hug. "My sweet boy!" she said smiling. Liam sighed.

"She'll do." He said somely.

…

The next morning, out in the desert, Giles' convertible came around the dune pulling up and stopping. Giles and Buffy got out. Giles went to open the trunk. Buffy followed.

"What's in the trunk? " she asked.

"Supplies." Giles said.

"Supplies? I was wondering about that. Like, food, water, maybe a compass?" Giles took out what he had in the trunk.

"What about a book, a gourd, and a bunch of twigs?"

"I don't think I'll be that hungry."

"They're for me. Come on, this way." He led Buffy off to a direction. "You see, the location of the sacred place is a guarded secret. I can't take you there myself." They began to climb up a dune. "I'll have to perform a ritual to ... transfer my guardianship of you, temporarily, to, to a guide. This'll do." He stopped and began putting the stuff down.

"A guide but no food or water. So it leads me to the sacred place, and then a week later it leads you to my bleached bones?"

"Buffy, please. It takes more than a week to bleach bones." Buffy grinned. Giles kneeled on the ground and began arranging the twigs around himself."

"So, how's it start?"

"I, uh, jump out of the circle and then jump back in it, and then, um ... I shake my gourd."

"I know this ritual! The ancient shamans were next called upon to do the hokey-pokey and turn themselves around." Giles straightened up and gave her a sour look.

"Go quest." Buffy made an amused face. Giles looked embarrassed. He sighed, rolled his eyes, jumped into the circle of twigs, jumped out, and shook the gourd.

"And that's what it's all about." Giles sat on the sand in the middle of the circle of sticks. He had the book open and read aloud in Swahili. Buffy started walking across the sand. Buffy heard a growling noise and stopped. She looked to her left and saw a mountain lion sitting on the sand about thirty feet away. "Hello, kitty." The lion began to walk and Buffy followed it. They went through a passageway made by two large outcroppings of rock. They came out on a large expanse of sandy desert dotted with small bushes or trees. Buffy went over to a rock and sat on it, looking around. "I know this place."

…

That next night, Liam and the Buffybot were walking through the cemetery. Liam wanted to see this android in action to truly see if it could pass as Buffy.

"Liam." The Buffybot said. "I noticed you seem sad. Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yeah." Liam deadpanned. "In fact I have a wife I left to come back here."

"That is great." The Buffybot said. "Is she nice?"

"Yeah she is. She's a slayer in fact."

"I'm a slayer."

"Yeah I know." Liam was getting frustrated. He didn't like the Buffybot, but he needed it for the future. Just in case.

"Liam" Liam turned and saw Spike coming towards them.

"Hey Spike."

"Spike!" the buffybot said smiling at Spike. Spike looked at her with a quizzical look.

"Uh…is somethin' wrong with your mum?" he asked.

"This isn't my mom." Liam answered.

"How dare you say that!" the Buffybot said. "I am too your mother and you'll be grounded for saying such things." Spike and Liam looked at each other.

"It's an android." Liam explained. Spike looked confused. Liam sighed "A robot" he clarified.

"A robot?" Spike asked with a shocked expression. "Why the bloody hell did you make a robot out of your mum?"

"Because I felt like she might need some sorta decoy. Just in case. And to have some sorta slayer on the hellmouth to scare demons."

"Uh…No offense son, but your plan might not pan well. I was able to sense that this wasn't the slayer. Who's to say that others won't figure it out?"

"How many times have we come across a smart vampire besides you, dad, Darla, and Drusilla?" Spike was going to give an answer, but stopped to think about. "Exactly. So long as nobody…" he was cut off as three vampires emerged. "Crap." The vamps rushed at them. The BuffyBot kicked one and he fell back. Spike engageed the second vamp while Liam took the third. Spike exchanged blows wit hhis vamp. Buffy kicked hers. Liam punched his but the vamp came back and punched Liam.

"Liam, be careful!" the Buffybot said. The bot kicked her vamp backward. Spike grabbed his vamp by the arm and hit him in the back. The third vamp had Liam on the ground. He got his feet on the vamp's chest and shoved him back. The bot punched her vamp several times and then staked him. Spike then staked his vamp. Liam was still struggling with his foe. "No, get away from him." She ran over and staked the last vamp. She helped Liam up. "Are you ok, Liam? Do you want me to kiss your boo-boo?" Spike looked at Liam and mouthed _boo-boo._ Liam sighed.

"No I don't need any of that." he turned to Spike. "Spike can she stay in your crypt tonight? I don't feel comfortable with her staying with me."

"So you're dropping her on me?" Spike asked.

"No. I just need her in someplace. You can still be at the mansion." Spike rolled his eyes.

"Alright then. This way." He led them back to this crypt.

…

In on the desert, Giles sat on the hood of his car, drinking from a thermos. He looked up at the sky and sighed. Buffy was still sitting on the rock. She hugged her arms and shivered, letting her head drop and her. After a while, Buffy sat up. She noticed a fire burning nearby.

"Hello? Who's there?" she asked. On the other side of the fire, the First Slayer was there standing. Buffy stared back. "I know you. You're the first Slayer."

"This is a form. I am the guide." She said.

"I have a few questions ... about being the Slayer. What about ... love? Not just boyfriend love."

"You think you're losing your ability to love."

"I-I didn't say that." she sighed. "Yeah."

"You're afraid that being the Slayer means losing your humanity."

"Does it?"

"You are full of love. You love with all of your soul. It's brighter than the fire ... blinding. That's why you pull away from it."

"I'm full of love? I'm not losing it?"

"Only if you reject it. Love is pain, and the Slayer forges strength from pain. Love ... give ... forgive. Risk the pain. It is your nature. Love will bring you to your gift."

"What? I-I'm sorry, I, I'm just a little confused. I'm full of love, which is nice, and ... love will lead me to my gift?"

"Yes."

"I'm getting a gift? Or, or do you mean that, that I have a gift to give to someone else?"

"Death is your gift."

"Death ..."

"Is your gift."

"Okay, no. Death is not a gift. My mother just died. I know this. If I have to kill demons because it makes the world a better place, then I kill demons, but it's not a gift to anybody." The First Slayer was obscured by the flames, following the contours of her body.

"Your question has been answered." She, as well as the fire, disappeared. All that was left were cold gray rocks and sand. Buffy frowned in confusion.

…

Spike led the Buffybot and Liam to his crypt.

"Alright pet." Spike said as the entered. "You'll stay here until your son comes and gets you."

"I am not her son." Liam said.

"How dare you." the Buffybot said. Liam sighed.

"So what?" Spike said turning to Liam. "Mum's outta town and you missed her so much you made a replacement?"

"No!" Liam said frustrated. "I only made her so that there could be a Buffy while the real one was out. Just so that demons won't run a muck on the Hellmouth. If the slayer's gone, it's free reign."

"I guess I can understand that."

"Of course you can."

"But do you really think that anybody can really fall for this?"

"Xander and Anya didn't seem to notice."

"Well there you go." Spike said sarcastically. The door opened and Xander walked in. "Speak of the twit."

"Liam, Spike." Xander said. "Look, I know what's going on here."

"Do you?" Liam said.

"Yeah, Buffy's going through a tough time now. And now that dead boy went back to LA for a case, you think you both can swoop in and steal Buffy." Liam wanted to punch Xander for call his father that name.

"You are really far from the truth, kid."

"Like I said before, I am not after Buffy." Spike said.

"I just find it fishy that if it isn't Angel and us, it's you two that Buffy seems to hang out with." Liam shrugged

"What can I say? People like me." Liam smiled. Spike scoffed at his remark. He was a lot like Angel. The door opened and some very ugly demons entered.

"Gentlemen!" one of them said. "I'm so sorry to intrude, but I wondered if I might beg a moment of your time."

"Friends of yours?" Liam asked Xander. One of the demons punched Xander in the stomach and hit Spike in the face. "Guess not." Liam kicked the demon that hit Spike and punched the one that hit Xander. Spike struggled to his feet as the fight continued. He took another kick to the chin and went down again. Liam exchanged more blows until he was hit in the face and his glasses fell off and broke. "Hey I liked those!" he said. Two of the demons got Liam by the arms. He head-butted another one of them.

"Tie his hands! Glory will want him restrained." Said the leader of the pack.

"Let me go!" Liam said struggling.

"Careful with him. She will want the key intact."

"Key? Who's a key? I'm not the…" The leader stuffed something in Liam's mouth. Liam continued struggling and muffled yelling as the demons dragged him out. Xander stood up and watched the demons take Liam away.

"This isn't good." Xander said. "Let's go Buffy." He grabbed the buffybot and left the crypt, leaving an unconscious Spike.

…

Xander and the Buffybot walked into Xander's apartment, where Willow, Tara, and Anya were sleeping.

"Guys! Guys, wake up." Xander said waking everyone up. Tara and Willow sat up from sleeping on the floor. Anya got up from sleeping on the sofa.

"Oh, Xander, I was scared, are you hurt?" Anay asked. "What happened?"

"Guys ... demony kinds of guys. Buffy."

"Yes, that's me." the Buffybot said.

"We've got a problem. The guys that work for Glory, you said they're kind of like hobbits with leprosy? Well this was a whole flock of hobbits, and they just grabbed Liam. I think they're taking him to Glory.  
Xander said to them.

"But he, he knows about Dawn." Willow said. Xander nodded. The Buffybot looked at Willow.

"You're Willow." It said. "You're my best friend. And recently gay."

"Um" Willow said.

"Back on topic" Xander said. "Liam was taken by Glory's minions."

"We have to get him back." The Buffybot said.

"So how do we find him?" Xander asked. Everyone looked at the bot. She looked uncertain.

"I fight with weapons." She said.

"Yeah. I got nothin'. Let's hit your place, we'll stock up."

"Uh, Tara, can you stay here a-and watch Dawn?" Willow asked her.

"Of course." Tara responded. The others walked out.

…

At Glory's apartment, the door burst open and the two main demons entered with Liam, whose hands were tied behind him. Glory got up from the sofa where she was reading a magazine. She eyed Liam.

"Whoa. Hello handsome." She said smiling.

"Stunning one, we believe he is..." one demon said gesturing to Liam. "The key!" Liam looked annoyed. Glory smiled.

"Really? That's fantabulous!" she came forward and shoved one of the demons away. "And impossible." She walked in a circle around Liam looking at him. "He can't be the key, because, see, the key ... has to be pure." She returned to Liam's front and sniffed at him. "He is half demon. And demons are impure." Liam made a sound that sounded like a buzzard when someone got a question wrong.

"I'm sorry, the word you were looking for was adorable." He said sarcastically. "Since you lost, let me go."

"I'm not even sure I can brain-suck this guy."

"I'm just gonna let myself out." He tried to escape but one of the demons stopped him.

"But, your holiness, we observed the Slayer." It said. "She protected this one above all others." Glory looked over his shoulder at Liam. "She treated him as precious."

"Really?" she said. "Precious-ss-ss?" She pushes the demon aside and went over to Liam again. "Let's take a peek at you, precious." She looked him up and down.

"Ooo. You know I like it when a girl says that." Liam said smiling.

"Maybe he isn't completely useless. Maybe he knows where the key is."

"Of course I do."

"Then you'll tell me?" Liam leaned in a little as if to whisper. Glory leaned in to hear. Liam spat in her ear. She wrenched back in disgust. "EW!"

"Fuck you!" Liam said angrily. Glory punched Liam and he flew backward, crashed into the wall and slid down it. He had blood on his lip. Glory came over and tilted his head up to look at him.

"That was rude and disgusting!" she said pulling him up.

"Sorry. I'm just a guy." Liam said smiling again.

"You really have no idea who you're dealing with." Liam began to chuckle.

"Yeah right. Of course I don't." he chuckled some more. "There is nothing you can do that'll get me to talk. I went up against the most feared creature on this planet and survived. You're nothing." Glory threw Liam onto her round bed. He lands on his back with his hands pinned underneath him. As he groaned in pain, Glory climbed on top of him.

"You think I'm nothing. I'm a god. You should worship me at my feet."

"Well, no one told me. You can torture me all you want. I've gone up against the master of torture in this world. You won't break me."

"We'll see about that." Liam screamed in pain as Glory began to torture him.

…

Xander opened the door to Buffy's house and let the Buffy Bot enter, followed by Xander, Anya, and Willow. They walked into the living room.

"This is my house." The Buffybot said smiling.

"If we're gonna stop Liam from blabbing about Dawn, we're gonna need these." Xander said going to the big weapons chest and opening it.

"Ooh, the big guns." Anya said. Xander took out a weapon and gave it to Anya. He took out another one for himself. "Saddling up. Shouldn't we have guns?"

"Those are my weapons." The Buffybot said. "Give me something big and sharp."

"Um, Buffy, where do we go?" Willow asked. "Where should we look for Glory?"

"She's a god. She wants the key."

"Yeah, so we should look..." Xander said.

"I don't know. Why are you all looking at me?" They all look confused.

"Okay, Buff, it's okay, you're right, you shouldn't have to know everything."

"We need to rescue Liam. We need to save my sweet boy." They all looked a little more confused.

"Um ... Buffy, I, I think you have more weapons upstairs." Willow said. "Why don't you go get those?"

"And maybe change your clothes, you know, something more ... fighty." Anaya suggested.

"I can do that. I'll be right back." The Buffybot said smiling and walked away.

"Okay, I'm not sure what's going on with her." Xander said. "When Anya and I saw her before, she was acting different, she was around Liam, and she didn't even ask about Dawn."

"Well, maybe it's from her time out in the desert and that quest she did." Willow suggested. "Being out there could make someone act weird."

"Weird enough to call Liam her 'sweet boy'." Anya said.

"You know, ever since he showed up, weird stuff has been happening." Xander said. "Demons take her family, he knows where and how to kill 'em. This Pessi person come along, he breaks through the spell and kills him. Riley leaves Buffy one day, next day Angel shows up and there back together like Riley never happened. Glory almost grabs Dawn, he comes along and beats her back while also being invisible. And whenever we try to point this out, Buffy just shrugs it off. It's like she isn't all about finding out who this guy really is."

"Well….I know that it might seem strange, but…" Willows trailed off. She was believing Xander. Weird stuff had been happening since Liam showed up. "What are we going to do?"

"Find him, keep him from talking, whatever it takes. Then interrogate him. We need to know who this guy really is."

"What do we do with Glory?" Anya asked.

"Whatever we do, we're gonna need Buffy's help." Willow said.

"Then we're gonna have to talk to her." Xander said.

"Intervention time again?"

"Yeah, 'cause what we need right now is a sane Buffy." The real Buffy entered her house at that point.

"Whoa. Group hang time?" she said looking at them. The others looked surprised.

"Tha-that was quick." Willow said.

"Didn't seem like it to me. Death is my gift." She scoffed. The others looked completely bemused.

"Buffy, we need to talk." Xander said.

"What's wrong?" Buffy asked alarmed. "Is Dawn okay?"

"Dawn's fine. "Willow said.

"Buffy, we care about you, and we're worried about you." Xander said. "The way you're acting, the things you're doing…"

"It's wrong." Anya said.

"Wait. This shouldn't be about blame." Willow said.

"Blame?" Buffy asked. "There's blame now?"

"No, there's only love. And ... some fear."

"We just feel like Liam maybe trying to put one over you." Anya said.

"Hun?" Buffy asked.

"Look, Buffy. Ever since Liam showed up, Weird stuffs happened." Xander said. Buffy was anxious. They were getting suspicious.

"Guys, I know that Liam has secrets, but he's helped us out. I think we should respect his privacy."

"But it seems like he wants to know about us and he won't let us know anything about him." Willow said.

"Maybe he's just shy. Or he doesn't want to get close because people that he got close to died."

"Or maybe they died because they got to close to him." Xander suggested.

"Liam is not a killer!" Buffy yelled. The Buffy Bot entered, looking offended.

"Who's says Liam is a killer?" it asked. "he's my sweet boy. He won't hurt anyone." She strided up next to Buffy, who stared at her in amazement.

"Oh my god."

"And so say all of us." Xander said surprised.

"Say, look at you." The Buffybot said looking at Buffy. "You look just like me! We're very pretty."

"Two of them!" Willow said.

"Hey, I know this!" Xander said. "They're both Buffy!"

"No, 'she's' a robot." Buffy said annoyed. "She just like that girlfriend-bot that Warren guy made. You guys couldn't tell me apart from a robot?"

"Oh, I don't think I'm a robot. And the proper term is android." The Buffybot said.

"She's very well done." Anya said. The bot smiles at her.

"Liam must have had her built so he could program her to do whatever he wanted her to do." Xander said. "Maybe even take over for Buffy while she was gone, make it seem like she was the real one and have us force to kill you."

"I don't think that was the plan." Buffy said.

"People." The Buffybot said. "Friends of mine. You're forgetting the most important thing. Glory has Liam and she's going to harm him.

"Glory has Liam?" Buffy asked softly. Xander laughed nervously.

"We were gonna bring that up." He said to her. The front door burst open and Spike came in under a blanket. He took it off and walked into the living room. Then he noticed Buffy and the Buffybot together.

"Uh…" he said. "I can explain that."

"Really?" Buffy said crossing her arms. Spike looked to the rest then back at Buffy.

"Liam wanted to have a second Buffy for decoys and all that. Just in case of anything."

"Is that right?" Spike nodded. "Then I have to find him."

"We were getting weapons." Anya said.

"Grab 'em." Buffy said. "We're going now. I have to save him. Then kill him"

"We don't even know where to look." Willow said. Buffy pondered.

"I know where to start."

…

At Glory's apartment, Liam's hands were tied together over his head. He stood in the middle of the room with the demons around the edges. His shirt was torn partly off and his face was bloody. His coat and equipment belt were lying on the couch.

"I have a riddle for you, precious." Glory said. "How is a guy that won't talk ... like an apple?" She walked up to Liam, grabbed his hair and pulled his head back. His chest is also bloody and had a number of cuts and torture marks. With her free hand she had a dagger which she used to cut his chest. Liam gritted his teeth and grunted in pain. "Think I can do you in one long strip?"

"Enough. No more." Liam said weakly. "I'll tell you. Just stop."

"Told you I could make you break."

…

Buffy, the gang, and the buffybot were on a hill top which was in front of Glory's apartment building.

"Glory's key-sniffing snake was about here when I killed it." Buffy explained. "It was headed back to her."

"Do you think she lives around here?" Willow asked.

"It's not a lot to go on." Xander said. Buffy shrugged

"It's all we got." Buffy said. Giles was staring at the bot.

"Quite extraordinary really." He said.

"Thank you." The Buffybot said. "But I really think we should be listening to the other Buffy, Giles." She pronounces it with a hard G like 'guy'. "She's very smart and she's gonna help us save Liam."

"Guy-les?" he turned to address the real Buffy. "Liam didn't even bother to program my name properly."

"Okay, guys, split up and spread out." The real Buffy said. "Check the priciest-looking places first. Xander, you come with me. Willow, Anya, stick together, and Guy-les ... Giles, you can watch ... it." Giles sighed and turned back to the bot. She gave him a huge grin.

…

Back at Glory's apartment, Glory was holding a glass of water to Liam's lips. He drank it all. There was blood coming from the wound above his eye and a wound in his lip is trickling down his.

"Is that better?" Glory asked. Liam coughed. "Do you think you can try to talk again now?" Liam nodded. "Good. Because I'm tired of these games!" She smashed the glass against Liam's face. It broke into pieces. Glory turned away from him. "'I need time, I need a drink,' you're a very needy little sack of meat, and it's not very attractive." Liam glared at her. "So start talkin'."

"Yeah. Okay." Liam said. "The key. Here's the thing..." Liam twisted his hands around in the cuffs that he was in, trying to loosen the chains. "It's….it's up."

"Up?"

"Yeah. Up….up your butt and around the corner." He snickered. Glory went up to him and smacked him really hard.

"That wasn't nice." Liam chuckled more.

"Yeah ... but it was fun. And guess what, bitch. You're wasting your time, you ain't getting shit from me. You're never gonna get your key, 'cause you might be strong, but in our world, you're an idiot."

"I am a god."

"The god of what, bad home perms?"

"Shut up!" she took a few steps toward him and patted her hair. "I command you, shut up!"

"You know, I've never been good at following commands. Mark my words, the Slayer ... is going to kick your skanky, lopsided ass back to whatever place would take a cheap, whorish, fashion victim ex-god like you." Glory spun around and delivered a spinning kick to Liam's chest. His hands broke free from the chains and he went flying backward, crashing through the apartment's door and into the hallway outside. He does a back-somersault and winds up on the floor against a chair. "I'm going to feel that tomorrow." Liam limped away, dragging himself down the hall toward the elevator. The demons ran out. Liam remembered something and saw a supply closet and hid in it. The demons didn't notice and ran right by. Once they were gone, Liam got out and went back to Glory's apartment. He limped in and saw Glory standing there.

"You came?" Glory asked.

"Just came to grab my effects." Liam said and grabbed his coat and equipment from the couch. "Later hell bitch." He ran, limping out, with his coat and equipment in hand. He saw the elevators and ran to them. The demons came around the corner and saw him.

"Here!" one said and ran at him. Liam tried to pry the doors open. But he was really weak.

"Crap" he said to himself. He took his axe and put it in the groove of the doors to the elevator and used it as a lever to open it. He opens it enough to push them open himself and he looked down. The elevator was descending. "Won't kill me. Hopefully." He dropped down. Several more demons came running around the corner. Liam landed on top of the elevator as the demons appeared in the doorway. Liam rolled over and opened the hatch in the elevator ceiling. He fell through it and landed on the floor of the elevator. "Ow." The elevator doors opened as the group of demons came down the stairs. Liam got slowly to his feet.

"You do not insult Glory by escaping." One demon said. Liam scowled at them. The front door opened and Buffy and Xander entered, carrying crossbows. "Slayer!" Liam closed his eyes in relief and fell back against the elevator wall as Xander grabbed one demon by his axe. Buffy shot the demon with her crossbow. A demon kicked the crossbow out of Buffy's hands and punched her. Liam sat against the wall of the elevator, panting, and watching the fight going on. Buffy kicked her demon down, ducked a punch from another demon and punched him, kicking a third. Xander used the axe like a staff to hit another demon, fending him off and stabbed a second demon with the axe, taking two punches from the first demon, ducking another punch and hitting the demon on the chin with the axe handle. Buffy blocked kicks from a demon, kicking him in the face, ducking a punch, throwing a punch that he blocked, punching him a few times. A demon grabbed Xander around the neck from behind. Giles and the Buffy Bot entered as Buffy continued fighting.

"Buffy, we're here." Giles said. He loaded his crossbow as Buffy delivered a final kick that sent the demon flying. The bot looked over to the elevator.

"Liam! Liam's in there!" the bot said. Xander continued struggling with the demon who had him around the neck and was threatening him with a small dagger. Giles hit the demon with his crossbow and grabbed him as Xander pulled free. Xander flew forward and landed on another demon on the floor. The bot went over to the elevator and looked at Liam, who was sitting on the floor. Xander punched the demon. Giles continued struggling with the other demon until it threw him to the floor and put the crossbow to his throat.

"Buffy!" The Buffy Bot whirled around. The real Buffy whirled around. The bot threw her weapon aside and grabbed the demon off Giles. The demon hit her with the crossbow and she flies against the elevator control panel. The real Buffy kicked the demon, then punched him and he went down.

The bot looked back at Lim and went to his side. The demons went back upstairs in retreat.

"Liam. Liam. Are you ok?" the bot asked Liam.

"Just…Peachy." Liam breathed panting.

"Don't worry. Mommy will take good care of you my sweet boy." She said as she patted his head. Everyone stared in confusion at the bot. The real Buffy looked annoyed.

"uh…Buffy." She said to the bot.

"Yes." The bot said turning around. Buffy smiled and kicked the bot into the wall. She sunk to the floor looking surprised as tendrils of blue light flashed across her body.

"You don't touch him." Buffy said. She knelt down to Liam who was barely staying conscious. "Liam, are you alright?" Liam looked past her and everyone. He reached for his equipment his fast reflexes and took out his gun and fired. Everyone stood in shock and turned when the heard something fall to the floor. They saw a dead demon with one of their axes, lying dead on the floor. He was shot in the head. They looked back at Liam still holding the gun and panting.

"You can't kill me." he said and then slumped into unconsciousness.

…

The gang got Liam out of Glory's apartment before anymore demons showed up. They took him back to Buffy's house. Buffy called Spike over to help with some explaining and trying to keep Liam's secret. Liam was lying on the couch as Buffy cleaned his wounds. Willow was poking at the machinery inside the Buffybot with tools. It was making sputtering noises. Tara was standing next to Willow. Everyone else was just standing around.

"Is it weird?" Tara asked looking across the coffee table. Buffy put down the cloth and stood on the other side of the table. Dawn sat in a chair beside her.

"Oh yeah." Buffy said walking closer. "At least it's not a very good copy." She knelt down next to the bot. "I mean..." Buffy laid her head down on the table to look into the bot's face. "...look at it."

"Uh ... yeah." Willow said looking up at Tara.

"What I wanna know is his intentions." Xander said.

"I told you." Spike said for the tenth time. "He made a decoy for Buffy."

"Well I don't believe it." the front door opened and Angel came in with a case file in hand.

"Hey." He said. He walked into the living room, saw the bot, saw Buffy, and then saw Liam on the couch all bloody and bruised. "What the hell happened?"

"Liam made a robot of me to act as a decoy." Buffy explained. "Glory got her hands on him and tortured him for information on Dawn."

"Did he give it?"

"I don't think so."

"But we can't be sure." Willow said.

"Yeah, he could have told her." Tara said.

"I don't think he would have." Angel said.

"Why not." Xander said. Everyone looked at him. "I mean, she's a god. She could have offered him some eternal glory or power that she could give after getting Dawn. Who's to say that he didn't fall for that."

"I say." Buffy said. "I say he didn't do it."

"So do I" Angel said.

"Do you listen to yourselves?" Xander yelled. "Ever since Liam came to town, all this unexplained events occurred. Demons kidnapping Buffy's family, Demon that kills with worst days of your life, Angel coming back right as Riley leaves. Liam is somehow involved and I wanna know how and why."

"We all do" Anya said. "Liam may be nice and all, but there a level of mystery to him."

"You all feel this way?" Buffy asked her friends.

"Yeah Buffy." Willow said. "I mean, I was fine with everything up until this point. With the robot, he's definitely working something and I have a bad feeling about it."

"He could be trying to gain your trust and have you on his team and fight us." Tara said,

"Or even kill you." Xander finished.

"You don't know him." Buffy yelled. "He helps us unconditionally and you all question it?"

"We don't know what his conditions are Buffy."

"He's not evil!"

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm their son." They heard Liam say. They all turned to him. He had his eyes open looking at them. He heard the conversation. He sat up and groaned in pain. Buffy knelt by him.

"Liam, are you ok?" she asked.

"Remember Angelus. This may compete, but it's nothing compared." Buffy sighed in relief.

"I'm glad you're ok."

"Liam" Angel said keeling on his other side.

"Hey, old man." Liam said looking at his father. "You get the stuff?"

"Yeah I got it." Angel said smiling. Liam smiled back and looked at Buffy.

"They should know."

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked.

"You felt that they needed to know about Dawn. I feel they need to know about me." Buffy nodded in agreement. "But I'm not explaining anymore. I'm tired of doing that. You do it." He leaned back, closed his eyes, and sighed. Buffy looked to Angel who nodded to her. She looked to her friends who were looking at her. She got up and faced them.

"Liam..." She began to explain. "Liam is my son."

"What?" Xander said in shock.

"He's mine and Angel's son from the future." Xander, Willow, Anya, and Tara stood in shock at what Buffy said. "He's from the future." She repeated. Xander faked laughed.

"Great story. Too bad it's bull." He said angrily.

"It's not bull, Xander." Giles said stepping forward. "He is Buffy and Angel's son. Only look at him." They all looked at Liam who looked at them in return. "He looks like Angel and has Buffy's eyes. He wears her cross necklace and Angel's coat. He is from the future and he is their son."

"Why did he come back?" Willow asked.

"Because in his future, it's hell." Angel said. "Wolfram and Hart, an evil law firm I fight in LA, set an apocalypse in motion. He can't fight it. He came back to prevent it from coming about."

"And the demons that took Buffy's family and that Pessimus guy?" Tara asked.

"Demons form the future that knew of Liam's plans." Dawn answered. "He killed them so that they couldn't tell their superiors."

"And Angel coming back after Riley left?" Anya asked.

"I knew who Liam was the first time I tailed him." Buffy said. "I found him living in Angel's old apartment and searched through it. I found a future phone with pictures of me and kids on it. I saw those kids with Angel. Liam caught me and I confronted him. He admitted it. I knew ever since."

"You knew even when you were with Riley." Xander stated angrily. "You led him on, only to break his heart in the most unclean way possible."

"Xander I had no choice. If I broke up with Riley without giving a good excuse, you and he would investigate. Liam didn't want anyone to know because if word got out of who he really is, evil might get their hands on it and him and torture him for information. Making the future to be worse than it is." Xander looked really pissed off. He turned to Giles.

"You knew too?" He asked. Giles nodded. "Ok, so who else knew?" Dawn and Spike raised their hands. "Spike?" Xander said in disbelief. "Spike knew before any of us. And Dawn. So you tell your family and Spike and you don't tell us. I thought we were your friends Buffy."

"You are my friends."

"But you didn't tell us." Willow said.

"Because I told them not to." Liam yelled getting up. He stumbled a little but got his balance. Buffy and Angel were at his side. "I'm fine, I'm fine" he said to them and looked at the gang. "I didn't want anyone to know. I didn't want my mom to know. But she found out and I had to live with it. I knew that I would eventually tell the rest of you. So there you go. I'm from the future, Buffy and Angel are my parents, and I am responsible for them getting back together." He looked at them all of whom with shocked expressions. "There are a series of events now that lead to my future. Where there is no future. I came back to change them so that, not only do we survive, but there is no apocalypse at all. For that to happen, I needed dad to come to Sunnydale and not go down his dark path. I came back with the spell to bind his soul so that he and my mom could be happy and my big brother could be born."

"Big brother?" Xander asked.

"Dad won a life in these trials and had a child with another woman. He didn't know about it. That child is my big brother. But I stopped it from happening so that dad and mom could have that child."

"Buffy's pregnant?" Willow asked shocked.

"No I'm not." Buffy said. "Angel and I have only been having protective sex. When we don't, then I'll be pregnant. But not now."

"Not when we are facing a hell god." Angel said.

"And that reminds me." Xander said. Everyone looked at him. "If you're from the future, than you must know how to stop Glory right?" everyone looked at Liam. He sighed.

"No. I was never told the story about Glory or that Dawn was a key thing. I don't know why. All I do know is what events to change. If this wasn't an event to change, than that must mean that you all survive and Glory never gets her hands on Dawn."

"But why wouldn't we tell you? "Willow asked.

"Maybe because it wasn't that important, it was too painful, not relevant to my mission. I don't know. I know a lot of things. But I can't tell you a lot of them because you need to find them out on your own. Otherwise, you all won't be the heroes I grew up with. I'll tell you guys about the events that have to change, but for some, I can't tell you." He took a breath. "There are more events coming. I plan to change them. I need all of your help. If you feel so angry that you didn't know about me, to not help me, then leave." He paused. "But if you wanna help, and make it so that your kids actually get to live and be happy, then forget about me keeping a secret and help god dammit. Cause frankly, I actually wanna return to a future that's happy and I get to come back to my family." He sat down in exhaustion. Everyone had on a stunned look. No one said a word for a few minutes. Then only sound being heard was Liam's heavy breathing. It was Dawn who broke the silence.

"So what's with the Buffybot anyway?" she asked looking at it.

"I had it built to act as a decoy for mom in case she needed a distraction or to get an enemy to waste its energy on it." Liam said.

"Told you." Spike said.

"Hey! I-I think I found somethin'." Willows aid looking at the circuits. Anya came over and looked at the machinery.

"Uch! Looks very complicated in there." She said. "Personally, I'd rather look at guts."

"I found where she's broken. Some of these wires got fried extra crispy. It's an easy fix." Buffy, Angel, and Liam gave her looks. "I mean ... not that I would."

"By the way." Buffy said looking to Liam. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Dawn…did she…"

"All she got out of me was blood, and a few unpleasant remarks at her." Liam said.

"So she knows nothing."

"She knows even less than I thought she did." Liam started to laugh. Angel laughed too. Buffy and Dawn smiled. Liam got up and began to stretch. Groaning a little in pain.

"Liam you shouldn't do that." Buffy said concerned. "You could tear a muscle or…"

"Mom, I'm from a slayer and a vampire. Give me a minute I'm good. Give me and hour, I'm great. Accelerated healing is already in play."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Angel asked.

"Yeah dad. I'm fine." He smiled at all of them. "I'm great. So where is that case I asked about?"

"I got it here." Angel said and gave Liam the file. "But are you sure you don't…"

"Yes dad. I don't. We need to focus on Glory first. Not on this."

"What is it anyway? "Buffy asked.

"Something that is beneficial to the future. And you can't pry it out of dad."

"Why not?"

"Because you need to worry about Glory. Not this. Let me worry about it. And I'll tell you all when it's time."

"Ok." Buffy said. She wanted to know about the file and she knew Angel knew. But he wasn't going to talk. Neither was Liam.

"So what was with the glasses anyway?" Anya asked. Liam turned to his equipment and looked for his glasses. They weren't there.

"Uh Liam." Spike said. Liam looked to him and pulled out his broken glasses.

"Aw, man." Liam said looking annoyed. "That really came in handy with the demon fighting."

"Because it looked cool?" Dawn asked.

"Because they were for the future and had scanners, and x-ray vision, and night vision stuff on it." Buffy explained.

"And I really liked those." Liam pouted. "Poo"

**The gang knows now. Liam lost his glasses. That's what he cared about that he lost. What was the case that Angel got for Liam? Any guesses. Comment and Review.**


	25. Tough Love

Chapter 25: Tough Love

**Sorry again for being a little late. Again school. But I have more time now. Expect more updates. For now, new chapter. Liam bonds a little with Tara. Everyone knows who he is. He gets payback on Glory. Enjoy.**

Buffy, Dawn, and Liam were sitting in Dawn's principle office. The principle needed to talk to Buffy about Dawn. Liam came for support. His injuries from Glory had healed up, but there were some marks from where they were. Angel couldn't make it. One, it was sunny out. Two, he had to go back to LA the previous night because Cordy had another vision in an expensive restaurant, about some demon they needed to kill. He would call them when the job was done or if he had another case to do. Back to the principle, the news she gave, wasn't good.

"You lied to me?" Buffy asked looking at Dawn who was sitting next to her. Liam was on her other side.

"Didn't ... lie ... e-exactly." Dawn said.

"Really." Liam said. "What about all the times Buffy asked you how school was and you said 'fine'?"

"Well, it was! She didn't ask if I was in it when it was fine."

"Dawn, you're fourteen years old. You should know better than this." Buffy sighed and looked at Principle Stevens.

"I-I don't know what to say." She began. "I-I'm sure you're aware that the past few months, you know, have been kind of hard for Dawn. Not that I'm saying that's an excuse."

"I understand." The principle said. "Your mother was a lovely woman and we'll all miss her very much. I know how difficult it must be."

"It is. Especially for Dawn. She-she's just a kid."

"Well ... I think we both know that Dawn is a lot more than 'just a kid.'" Dawn looked alarmed and looked over at Buffy, who returned the look. Liam shifted in his seat. "She's a talented young girl ... with a sharp mind ... when she puts the effort in." Dawn looked away in relieved.

"Look. I realize that there's been some ball-dropping, but I'm sure this will all…"

"Dawn, why don't you wait outside for a few minutes?" the principle said to her. Dawn looked very scared. She looked over at Buffy, who gave her a nod. Dawn got up and left. Buffy watched her go with a sigh. The principal gave Buffy and Liam a stern look. "You two are Dawn's legal guardians?"

"No. I am. Liam is a cousin who came to town for the funeral."

"I though I could help out with the family." Liam added going along with the story.

"Miss Summers, Social Services keeps a very close eye on cases such as this. Things like skipping school are very serious. If you can't get Dawn to go to school, I'm afraid that you won't be fit to be Dawn's legal guardian." Buffy looked shocked. "And if you can't help," she looked at Liam. "They may not see fit to grant you guardian ship either." Liam looked down.

"I can assure you," Liam spoke looking back up. "Dawn will go to school from now on. This stops here."

"I should hope so."

…

Buffy, Dawn, and Liam walked into the magic shop later that day. Xander and Willow were at the table reading, Anya was going to talk to customers, and Giles was drinking some tea. They looked at them as they entered.

"Hey, what's up?" Xander said. "It's Dawn Giovanni, the Buffster, and Future Boy."

"Don't call me Future Boy, kid." Liam said. The rest of the gang was still getting used to the fact that Liam was Buffy and Angel's son from the future. They were even more restless knowing that the future isn't good and that Glory is a minor problem. Xander didn't like how Liam was form the future and had been messing with their lives, but after a stern talking to form Buffy, he shut up about it. Willow was a little wigged about it, but she came around. She liked the fact that Buffy and Angel had children. She also liked the idea of helping someone form the future, save it. Xander too liked it. They were coming around, but they still didn't like how Liam lied to them and how Buffy kept the secret for so long.

"Hey everybody." Buffy said.

"I trust everything went well at the university?" Giles asked.

"Yep, I'm, uh, all dropped out." She and Dawn sat at the table. Liam just stood against the wall.

"Good on you." Xander said. "Welcome to the real world. Lot of fun to be had on the outside." He looked at Willow. "You'll see."

"Well, it's just for now. I mean, I'm thinking that I'm probably gonna go back next semester."

"And that's cool too. Whatever you choose, you've got my support. Just think of me as ... as your ... You know, I'm searching for supportive things, and I'm comin' up all bras, so... something slightly more manly, think of me as that." Buffy smiled. Liam rolled his eyes.

"Thank you."

"Buffy, I've been meaning to talk to you." Willow said looking at her.

"Ok, what is it?"

"Well, Tara and I were talking last night. And, you know, you're getting married in a few months."

"I do know that, Will."

"Well, we were thinking that maybe we could through you a little bridal shower."

"No Willow. Sorry but…"

"It isn't going to be anything fancy. Just us girls. You deserve it after everything. It's traditional."

"Normally Willow, I would, but I'm not in the party mood right now."

"Come on, mom." Liam said. "Willow's right. You deserve to have this shower thing. Dad, Spike, and I can do something together while you're out having girl time." Buffy smiled.

"I'll think about it, but I need to talk to Giles alone for a minute." Giles looked up from his tea and newspaper. "Uh, Dawn, why don't you get started on your homework? Uh, if you need help," She turned to Willow. "Will, could you?" Willow nodded. "Okay." She turned to Liam. "Make sure she does it."

"You got it, mom." Liam said. Buffy nodded and walked with Giles to the training room. Dawn opened her schoolbag with sadness.

"It's weird." Xander said. "You calling her 'mom'."

"Well I am her son."

"Yeah, but it's still kinda weird." Willow said. "I mean, we just find out about you."

"And now you're going to have to get use to me calling Buffy 'mom'."

"I'm still trying to get use to you being from the future." Xander said.

"I got used to it real quick." Dawn said.

"Yeah, and then you went upstairs to…." Liam said but Dawn cut him off.

"They don't need to know about that." she said embarrassingly. Liam smiled.

…

Buffy sat on the sofa in the training room with her chin in her hand as Giles toyed with the punching bag.

"I just don't know what I'm gonna do." Buffy said. "I mean, she's messing up ... I'm messing up ... it's a mess."

"You're just going to have to put your foot down with her." Giles said.

"I try. It's just ... my foot's not used to being put down. I want you to do it. You can be the foot-putting-downer." Giles sighed.

"No, Buffy, I don't think I can."

"Please? Pretty please? I mean, your foot is way bigger than mine! And you're so much more a grownup than me. Dawn needs an authority figure. A strong guiding hand. She'll listen to you." Giles scoffed.

"Just like you always have."

"I listen!" Giles gave her a look. She pouted. "I do." Giles removed his glasses and sat next to her.

"Well, then perk up your ears. I may be a grownup, but you're her family. Her only real family now. She needs you to do this."

"But we have Liam now. He can do all the grown up stuff. After all, technically, he is older than I am."

"Buffy, you can't put all this responsible stuff that you can't handle on your son. He has hi sown responsibilities. What with trying to save the future and ensuring you live. He doesn't need to have to care for Dawn when you don't want to. Dawn needs you."

"Right." Buffy said nervously. "She needs me. Me, the ... grownup. The authority figure. The, the strong guiding hand and, and stompy foot that is me."

"That's the spirit."

"Okay." Buffy nodded and smiled. "I can do this." They both got up.

"I know you can." They walked a few steps toward the door, then Buffy whirled around to face Giles.

"Please?"

"No." He took her shoulders and turned her around. She took a deep breath.

"Okay. Here we go. Early to bed, early to rise, balanced breakfast, hospital corners. It's a new beginning. Discipline. Authority. Order." They walked back into the shop and heard giggling. They saw Xander, Anya, and Willow lying on the floor head-to-toe forming a triangle. Dawn stood in the middle. Liam leaned on the counter. All were giggling. Dawn saw Buffy and stopped laughing. "What is this? I thought I told you to do your homework!" The others got up from the floor.

"I was." Dawn said.

"Please don't lie to me." Buffy said folding her arms.

"I'm not." Giles, Xander, and Anya move away into the shop.

"We were acting out a geometry problem," Willow started to explain. "'cause I read this really neat article that said kids learn math better if you, you stimulate their, uh, visual learning pattern. You know, using the right side of the brain instead of just the left?" Buffy still looks stern and unamused.

"Uh-huh." She said and looked to Liam. He looked a little anxious.

"Uh…I said it was ok." Liam said.

"So we made a triangle with our bodies," Willow explained again. "And that's when I called Xander obtuse, and he got really grumpy and then Dawn said we were "acute" triangle, and, well, hilarity ensued."

"Right." Buffy said. "Well, you know what I think? I think maybe Dawn should do her homework at home." Dawn looked disappointed.

"B-but it was working." Dawn said. "I was really learning."

"Please get your stuff." Dawn scowled and looked at Willow.

"Fine. Don't listen to me." She went and got her stuff. Willow walked over to Buffy.

"Please don't be grouchy with her." She said. "Who among us can resist the allure of really funny math puns?"

"It's really important that Dawn finishes her schoolwork right now." Buffy said.

"Yeah, I know, but...We were having good clean educational fun, and then all of a sudden it was all gloom and doom and the outlawing of human triangles."

"It's 'really' important that Dawn finishes her schoolwork right now." Buffy said firmly.

"I know it is, and I'm a big fan of school. You know me! I'm like, 'Go school! It's your birthday!' Or something to that effect."

"Look, Willow, I know that you mean well, but you just don't understand, and there's no way that you could."

"I do so understand, it ... you're stressed out."

"I'm more than stressed out. I'm freaked out."

"And that's why I suggested the bridal shower. Hey, maybe you and Dawn and Liam could come to World's Culture fair if you want to, with me and Tara." Liam was going to respond when Buffy cut him off.

"I don't think so." Liam closed his mouth.

"Come on. It'll be fun."

"I can't do it, Will. Don't worry. It's not like I don't have a life. I do. I have Dawn's life. And I have Liam's too."

"Mom." Liam said coming closer to her. "Is this about what the principle said?"

"What did the principle say?" Willow asked.

"Yes it is." Buffy answered Liam. "And I don't want to talk about it." she said to Willow. She walked over to the table where Dawn stood, holding her stuff. Buffy picked up her bag without breaking her stride. "Ready?" Dawn looked sullen, turned and fell into step behind Buffy. She casted a look over her shoulder at Willow and Liam as they left.

"What did the principle say?" Willow asked Liam. He sighed.

"Something scary to mom." Liam said and turned and left with his family.

…

Buffy was in the basement of her house doing laundry. She was getting clothes out from the drier.

"She's right you know." she stopped gathering clothes when she heard Liam's voice from the stairs. "You do need to relax."

"You know you become more like your father everyday." She said and went back to doing laundry. "You sneak up on people without any warning."

"I remember when I snuck up on you and made you flinch." He said coming over next to her. Buffy smiled.

"I remember that day well."

"Yeah. But back to what I was saying. You do need to relax. I can't tell you how many times, when I relaxed after freaking out about Wolfram and Hart, that I found myself more focused."

"I try. I listen to that song you gave me."

"Sleepsong."

"Yeah. It really is beautiful. And it does help me to relax."

"When's the last you played it?" Buffy stopped doing laundry again and looked thoughtful. "Exactly. You need to relax for a just a bit. Listen to the song, take up Willow's offer about the party, and let me help with Dawn and some household stuff."

"But what about the future and saving it and all?"

"Right now the only apocalypse thing to deal with is you blowing one. I'm not just here to help save the future, I'm also here to help my family. Let me help." Buffy sighed.

"Ok. You can help."

"Great. So you wanna go to that Cultural Festival?"

"Not today." Buffy said grabbing the laundry basket and heading upstairs. Liam followed. Dawn was sitting at the dinning room table when Buffy and Liam entered. Buffy set the basket down and started folding clothes. Liam grabbed a towel and helped. "So I was thinking." Buffy said to Dawn. "We should put a chart up on the fridge. A schedule." Dawn gave her an angry look. Liam saw it. "I'll write down all the things you're supposed to do, and when you have to do them, and then I'll leave a box next to it, which you can mark with an X when you've accomplished the task." Dawn stared at her with a sullen expression. "What? You want gold stars?" she rolled her eyes. "Okay. You can have gold stars."

"I don't want gold stars." Dawn said and scoffed. "I don't want any of this." She put down her pencil and crossed her arms. Buffy stopped folding.

"Dawn, we're just trying to give you a normal life." Liam said hoping to not have sister argument. "We just want you to make sure you end up Ok."

"Well, good luck." Dawn returned to her schoolwork. Liam went back to folding. Buffy stood and stared at her. Dawn paused, looking up warily. "What? What am I doing wrong now?"

"This is for real, Dawn." Buffy said.

"No, it's not. I'm not real, so why would my exciting graph of chores be real? Who cares if a key gets an education anyway?" she slammed her textbook shut, folds her arms again.

"It's a chart. Not a graph. And you are real."

"Yeah? Those monks put grades K through eight in my head. Can't we just wait and see if they drop nine in there too?"

"Dawn!" Liam said. Buffy slammed her hand down on the table, making Dawn and Liam jump and wince.

"Damn it, Dawn." She said. "This is serious."

"Why?" Dawn asked. "Why should I care about any of this?"

"Because they'll take you away!" The room got very quite. Dawn unfolded her arms and looked scared. Liam set down his towel and sighed, bowing his head.

"Take me away?" Dawn said. "What do you mean?"

"They'll take you away from me." Buffy said softly. "That's what your principal told me when you weren't in the room. If I can't make you go to school, then I won't be found fit to be your legal guardian. And there would be nothing that Liam could do to help." She resumed folding towels. Dawn absorbed this for a moment.

"Where would I go?"

"I don't know. Dad maybe ... or foster care ... I, I didn't really want to ask."

"You could've told me that."

"I just did." Buffy continued folding as Dawn sat there.

"All we want Dawn, is to have you in our lives." Liam said. "Your mom would have wanted you two to stay together." Dawn looked down sad. They just staid in their spots for a long minute. "I'm gonna….go gets some air." Liam said and left. Dawn looked back with sadness. Buffy kept folding. She too had sadness on her face but she was hiding it.

…

At the park, balloons and paper lanterns were hanging from trees. People were walking around, some in costume, some holding carnival prizes. A group of cheerleaders waving pompoms. A group of Chinese men dancing with a large paper dragon. Flags of many nations hang from a wire above. Tara was sitting alone on a park bench looking sad.

"Hey" she heard a voice and turned. Liam stood there looking a t her. "This seat taken?"

"Liam." Tara said. "Uh…no. no. It's not taken." Liam nodded and sat down next to her. "You came to the festival." Tara said.

"Yeah. Even a future man can gets some air." Tara smiled.

"You know, I was a little freaked out at the fact that you were from the future."

"Yeah. So was mom. But she came around." Liam leaned forward and sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, Dawn's acting out and mom's trying to keep it all together. I try to help her but, it seems like she doesn't want help at all."

"Maybe she wants you focused on your mission to save the future."

"Maybe, but part of my mission is to help my family. She counts. Obviously." Tara smiled again then went back to being sad. Liam saw this and leaned back. "So I told you what was bothering me. What's bothering you?" Tara looked to the ground.

"Willow and I had our first fight." She said sadly.

"Ooo. The dreaded inevitable first fight of all couples. You don't know when, where, or how it's going to start. But it'll happen. What was it about?"

"I just said a few stupid things that were completely wrong and Willow got all mad. She thought that I thought her new….life….was just a phase and that she would leave me."

"Sometimes we fear the worst. A lot of the times we fear it so much, that the first sign of it coming about, scares them to think that it's already happened. But don't worry. You'll feel better when you both made your apologies and you'll know that you can fight without the world ending. Just pray that it won't end up into another fight about who should say they're sorry first."

"Hunh?"

"I had a fight with someone where she wanted me to say 'I'm sorry' and she would be sorry too. I wanted it to be her sorry one and I'm sorry two." Tara laughed at his story. Liam laughed with her.

"Was she special?" Tara asked. Liam looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah she was. And I learned that it didn't matter who said that they were sorry first. Both parties are at fault and both have to make an apology."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right. I'm from the future." Tara laughed again. Liam smiled. "Want some ice cream?"

"Sure. Chocolate, please."

"I'll be right back." Liam got up and went to find the ice cream stand. Tara sat there on the bench looking a little better. She looked idly off to her left. She felt a hand entwine themselves with hers. Tara smiled, looking down at the entwined hands, then looked up at the face and stopped smiling.

"Is this seat taken?" Glory said looking at her. Tara gasped in fear.

…

Liam found an ice cream stand and got himself and Tara some ice ream. He turned and started walking back to Tara

"Tara!" he heard a voice say. "Tara!" he looked around and saw Willow running through the crowds.

"Willow." Liam said running over. Willow saw him a stopped. "What is it?"

"I need to find Tara. Glory thinks she's the key."

"Oh god. I just left Tara a minute ago. She's this way." He turned and Willow followed. Liam dropped the ice cream and ran back to Tara. They both saw Tara and Glory on the bench. Liam ran harder.

"By force of heart and mindful power, by waning time and waxing hour ..." Willow began to chant. Glory put her hand on Tara's head. People keep walking past and blocking them from view so it was difficult to tell what's happening. Liam tried running through the crowds. Knocking people over. "I echo Diana, um, when I decree ... uh, what is it, what is it?" Willow kept chanting. Glory had both her hands on Tara's temples. "No! No!"

"Tara!" Liam yelled. Light began to stream out as Glory's fingers entered Tara's head. Both Tara and Glory cried out. Liam and Willow reached the edge of the path but were blocked by the Chinese dragon people and had to stop.

"That she I love must now be free!" willow finished the chant. People continued walking past and blocking their view of Tara. "Tara!" The crowd cleared and they saw Tara sitting alone on the bench with her head lolling to one side. "No!" They ran over to her. Willow sat on the bench, grabbing Tara by the shoulders. Tara didn't react or look at her. Liam started looking around for Glory. "Tara, Tara, are you okay?"

"It's dirty." Tara said. "It's all dirty. And all over me!" Liam looked at Tara. She began brushing at her stomach as if to brush off dirt. "Dirty. Dirty. I'm bad. Bad." She whimpered.

"Tara. Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Willow began to cry. Liam just stood with his head bowed, looking sad too. He left her and now she got brain sucked. He shouldn't blame himself, but he did. Willow pulled Tara's head down onto her shoulder and rocked her gently.

…

At the hospital, Giles was looking at some X-rays of Tara's hand that were posted on the wall. He removed his glasses and wiped his eyes as he turned. Anya and Xander were beside Tara on one side. Tara was sitting on the edge of an exam table wearing a hospital gown. She looked straight ahead with a glazed expression. Her hand was bandaged. Willow was sitting beside her. Liam was leaning on the wall looking guilty.

"Can she go home now?" Willow asked the doctor.

"Unfortunately, no." he said. "Hospital policy dictates we keep her for the night."

"But does she have to? I-I can take care of her at home."

"It's poisoned." Tara said. "Why don't I tell you that? It, it has to be checked, though." Willow looked sad. Tara looked confused. Liam looked even more guilty.

"She your sister?" the doctor asked.

"I-i-it has to be verified, of course. Anyone can tell you that. Of course. Of course, of course."

"She's my everything." Willow said staring at Tara.

"Well, you can get her released first thing in the morning." The doctor said. "But she's gotta spend one night in the psych ward. Just for observation. We'll keep an eye on her, do a couple basic tests, then you can take her home. Does that sound fair?" Willow nodded uncertainly. "Well, sit tight then, and I'll send a nurse by in a few minutes to pick up Tara." The doctor left as Anya and Xander gave Willow concerned looks. Willow stood and brushed hair back from Tara's face.

"Man, words cannot express how much I hate this place." Xander said.

"It's dreadful." Giles said.

"It's like communism." Anya said.

"It's purgatory." Liam said as Buffy entered.

"Hey. Will, I'm so sorry." Buffy said hugging Willow and looking over her shoulder at Tara. Tara stared vaguely at nothing. Buffy and Willow pulled apart. Willow had tears in her eyes. She looked at Tara who gives her a huge smile.

"They kill mice." Tara said. Willow had tears running down her cheeks.

"Tara." Buffy said hugging Tara, who didn't react. Buffy pulled back slowly and looked at Willow. "I'm sorry it took me so long, but Dawn's safe with Spike, so I-I can stay as long as you need." Willow put her hand over Tara's non-bandaged hand.

"I'm so scared." Willow said. Buffy put her hand on Willow's cheek.

"It's my fault." Liam said looking at Tara.

"No it's not" Buffy said looking at him.

"I was with her. I left her alone for just a minute."

"Glory was waiting for you to leave."

"All the more reason."

"Will you stop blaming yourself!" she yelled. Tara whimpered a little. Willow comforted her. "God, you are just like your father. It's not your fault. You didn't know. And I'm not sure there wasn't anything you could have done."

"I could have done something."

"Yeah, you should have." Xander muttered. Buffy gave him a mean look.

"I know." Liam said. His phone started to ring and he looked at the caller ID. "It's dad." He said and answered it. "Hey dad….yeah…..really….oh god….ok, you be careful….I will…love you too." He hung up.

"What did he say?" Buffy asked.

"Cordy got sucked into some other dimension and dads going in to get her. He doesn't know how long it'll be, but it's safe to assume he won't be home for dinner."

"God that's horrible."

"More horrible than this?" He asked pointing to Tara. Buffy gave him a worried look.

Later, Tara was in a wheelchair. A nurse was trying to settle her into the chair. Tara pushed at the nurse's hands trying to stop her.

"Don't! Please don't with that treachery!" Tara said sounding upset. She calmed down slightly as the nurse went around behind the wheelchair and began to wheel her out. Tara looked up at Willow. "I told the cat. And now I beg my mother sitting all alone."

"Bye, Tara. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you." Willow said. Tara whimpered as the nurse wheeled her out. Her good hand reached back toward Willow. Willow watches her go, trying to run after her but Xander stepped into her path.

"Willow. No." he said. "It's just for one night.

"Yeah, I-I know, but ... it's a whole night. I don't think I can sleep without her."

"You can sleep with me." Anya said. Everyone looked at Anya. "Well, now that came out a lot more lesbian than it sounded in my head."

"Will, you just have to rest. Okay?" Buffy said stepping forward. "Right now there's nothing you can do. Willow pondered.

"Yes there is." She said walking out the door.

"No. No way." Buffy chased Willow out into the hallway. Liam looked back. He knew that look that Willow had. She wanted blood. He knew, because he had that face for over a year after his father died. Buffy chased after and stopped Willow. "You cannot even think about taking on Glory."

"You saw what she did to Tara. I can't let her get away with it."

"No. You 'have' to let her get away with it. Even I'm no match for her, you know that."

"But maybe I am." She turned to go but Buffy grabbed her arm.

"You're not. And I won't let you go."

"This is not your choice. It's mine."

"This is not the time."

"When, Buffy? When is? When 'you' feel like it? When it's someone 'you' love as much as I love Tara? When it's Dawn, is that it?"

"When we have a chance. We'll fight her, when we have a chance. You wouldn't last five minutes with her, Willow. She's a god." Willow shook her head sadly.

"Fine. I'll wait."

"It's the only way."

"Yeah." Willow said skeptical and then she started to walk away.

"Can I do anything?"

"Just let me be alone." Willow said not turning back. Buffy watched her go with a concerned expression.

…

Buffy and Liam went to go pick up Dawn from Spike. Buffy told Dawn about Tara.

"It's all my fault." Dawn said.

"No. Sweetheart, it is 'not' your fault." Buffy said.

"How's Willow?" Dawn asked teary eyed.

"She was looking to go all payback-y on Glory for a minute. But I cooled her down a little. Actually a lot."

"So she's not gonna do anything rash then." Spike asked.

"No. I explained that there was no point." Spike looked at Liam. They both gave each other the same look. Buffy noticed "What?"

"You - so you're saying that a ... powerful and mightily pissed-off witch ... was plannin' on going and spillin' herself a few pints of god blood until you, what, 'explained'?" Buffy frowned and looked at Dawn, then at Liam, and then back at Spike.

"You think she'd ... no. I told Willow it would be like suicide."

"I'd do it." Liam said. Buffy stared at them.

"Right person." Spike said. "Person I loved. I'd do it too." Buffy continued to stare as if not getting it.

"Think, Buffy." Dawn said. "If Glory had done that to me." Buffy glances at Liam and they both went racing out of the crypt.

…

At Glory's apartment, Willow was in a rage and was destroying everything, trying to hurt Glory as much as possible.

"Shatter." She said. The mirrors in the room all shattered and the glass flew toward Glory, slicing her dress into shreds but not harming her.

"Is that it?" Glory asked. "Is that the best you can do? You think I care about all this, the apartment, the clothes?" She pulled off the shreds of her dress, revealing a black negligee underneath. She backhanded Willow, who flew backward and toppled over a sofa, landing on the floor. "Now, sucking on your girlfriend's mind?" Willow lifted her head. Her eyes were still all black. "That was something to treasure." Willow got to her feet, wearing a very angry expression. There was a small trickle of blood coming out of her mouth and down her chin. There was a black bag on the floor. It started sliding across the floor toward Willow, who turned to look at it. The bag opened of its own. Glory looked amused "What's this? Bag of tricks?"

"Bag of knives." Willow said. A bunch of daggers flew up out of the bag. The daggers flew toward Glory, who batted them all aside. One buried itself in the wall. "Spirit of serpents now appear." Glory picked up a coffee-table and threw it at Willow, knocking her down again. Willow braced herself up on her hands and looked back at Glory. "Hissing, writhing, striking near." A snake appeared out of the carpet Glory was standing on and winded itself around her leg. Glory shook her foot and the snake disappeared in a puff of smoke. Glory walked forward.

"Now this is getting weak." She grabbed Willow by the throat and pulled her to a sitting position. "And so are you, honey. Aren't ya?" Willow spat in her face. Glory looks startled. "You know, I'm really getting tired of people doing that." She grabbed Willow's arm and dragged her across the floor to where one of the daggers lay. Glory scooped it up and continued dragging Willow.

"No!" Glory pulled Willow up and shoved her against the wall, holding her by the throat.

"Know what they used to do to witches, lover?" She brought up her other hand with the dagger.  
Crucify 'em." Glory pulled her arm back to stab with the knife, but Buffy and Liam appeared and Buffy grabbed Glory's wrist.

"They used to bow down to gods." Buffy said. Glory smiled in delight. Buffy kicked her in the stomach and she let go of Willow, who fell to the floor. Liam went to her aid. Buffy twisted Glory's arm aside and punched her. "Things change." Buffy cart wheeled across the floor and kicked Glory in the face. She punched her a few times, kicking her again, spinning around to punch but Glory blocked it. Buffy does a flip and kicked Glory in the face, comes back upright and threw another couple of punches which Glory evaded. Glory pinned Buffy's arm behind her back and threw her over a sofa.

"That witch barely slowed me down." Glory said glaring at Buffy. Buffy kicked the sofa, which flew forward and pinned Glory against the wall. Buffy ram over to Willow and Liam and helps her up. Glory shoved the sofa aside and stalked toward them. Buffy began to lead Willow out. Liam stayed standing looking at Glory.

"Liam, let's go." Buffy said.

"Just get Willow outta here. I'll be there in a sec." Liam said.

"You won't last that long in a fight with me." Glory said nearing Liam.

"Think again." Liam lifted his hand and threw a ball of energy at Glory. She stumbled but it didn't stop her. Liam threw another one. This time she went stumbling back more and fell down. She got back up and stalked towards Liam again. Liam threw another one, this time more powerful, and Glory went flying back a few feet. She got back up and Liam hit her again, sending her flying. Liam gathered a lot of energy into one big ball in between his hands and lifted it above his head. Glory got up and looked at him. Liam threw the ball and Glory went flying all the way into the wall, making a hole. "That was for Tara." He said and a fell to the floor, disoriented. He looked back. Glory was getting out of the hole she was in. "Thicken." Liam said raising his hand and the air around Glory thickened, rendering her immobile. Liam ran out after Buffy and Willow.

"This isn't over, you hear me?" Glory shouted. "It isn't over!" She watched them go with an annoyed sigh.

…

Buffy and Liam made it back to Buffy's house after dropping Willow off at her dorm and picking up Dawn. They all entered. Liam was being held up by both Buffy and Dawn.

"You shouldn't have stayed behind to attack Glory." Buffy said.

"Yeah, well, I wanted payback for the bruises." Liam said. "And for Tara."

"I think you were right in doing it." Dawn said.

"Thanks." They led him to the couch were he graciously fell on it and shifted to feel more comfortable. "And I'll just sleep here tonight."

"You sure it's ok?" Buffy asked.

"Please, mom. I've slept in worse places then on a couch. This is like suite at a hotel compared."

"If you're sure."

"How are you so weak anyway?" Dawn asked. "You said that Glory never laid a hand on you."

"I used too much magic at once. It deprives me of my energy. Leaving me weak."

"You shouldn't have done it." Buffy said.

"I'll remember next time. Promise." Liam closed his eyes and too in a breath. "But right now, I just wanna sleep. Had a rough day."

"We all have." Buffy said and kissed her sons head. "Get some rest." Buffy lead Dawn upstairs and they both went to bed.

…

The next morning, Willow, Tara, Anya, Dawn, and Buffy sat on Tara's bed in her dorm room. Tara's hand was still bandaged and she still stared blankly in front of her. Willow had one hand on Tara's knee. Buffy had a paper bag. She took something out of it.

"Chicken salad?" Buffy asked.

"Right here." Willow said taking the sandwich and Buffy continued taking wrapped sandwiches from the bag.

"Roast beef with cheese?"

"That's me." Anya said and took her sandwich

"Eggplant, that's me ... salami with ... ew, peanut butter? Dawn." She gave it to Dawn.

"Yeah, like eggplant is normal." Dawn said. "It's what, half egg, half plant? 'Cause that's just unnatural." Buffy continued unpacking sandwiches along with plastic bags full of grapes.

"Sorry this isn't the bridal shower I imagined Buffy." Willow said.

"It's alright. It's kinda nice. Just us girls."

"What's Tara got?"

"Oh. I ... got her tuna." Dawn said holding up a sandwich. "Does she like...?" Willow drew Tara's attention to the sandwich. Buffy stopped unpacking to look at them. "Tara?" Dawn unwrapped the sandwich to show Tara. Tara anxiously looked to Willow, then back at the sandwich.

"Plastic and their six sisters." Tara said anxiously. "Six sick sisters. Willow?"

"It's okay." Willow said. "Let's just start slow today. Um, Buffy, could I have that?" Buffy handed her a cup of applesauce and a plastic spoon. Willow opened it. "Here you go." Willow spooned some applesauce into Tara's mouth. Tara ate it uncertainly. "That's my girl." Buffy looked on with a sad expression as Willow continued feeding Tara.

"Can I help?" Dawn asked. Willow nodded, giving Dawn the cup and spoon. Tara gave Willow an anxious look but accepted the food from Dawn. Willow looked over at Buffy.

"What are you gonna need?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know." Willow said. "They gave me a lot of stuff to ... keep her calm. They both look at Tara, still being fed by Dawn. "They said I might have to restrain her at night. But ... sometimes she's fine. She looks at me, and ... she's fine. Tara made an unhappy face.

"I'm sorry I couldn't…"

"It's okay. I'm actually kinda glad that Liam went all crazy with the magic on glory and smashed her into a wall."

"At the cost of his health and energy." Buffy pointed out.

"Yeah. But I still appreciate it." She turned to Tara. And I can do this. I'm gonna take care of her. Even if she never..." Dawn looked up at this. "She's my girl." Buffy looked sympathetically at Willow. She looked at Dawn and played with a lock of Dawn's hair.

"I understand." Willow nodded in agreement.

"I know you do." They gave each other small smiles and looked at Tara. "Hear that, baby?" Tara looked at her "You're my always." Willow kissed Tara on the forehead. Tara smiled. Suddenly the entire outside wall smashes to pieces, exposing them to the outside. Dawn and Buffy jumped up in alarm. Sunlight streamed in. Glory appeared in the window, which is now just a broken frame with shards of glass hanging in it.

"I told you this wasn't over." Glory said.

"No." Tara started to freak out. "The place is cracking! It's cracking! Cracking, no, no, no!" Dawn looked anxiously at Tara as Willow tried to calm her.

"No, Tara, it's okay." Dawn said. Tara gasped at Dawn.

"Oh, look at that, look at that. The light!" Buffy was staring at Glory but turned to look at Tara at this. "Oh, it's so pure! Such pure green energy!" Dawn gasped in horror and looked over at Glory in fear. Glory began to smile. "Oh, it's so beautiful." Glory's smile widened.

"My beautiful key." Glory said. Dawn looked fearfully at Buffy. Buffy turned to glare at Glory. This wasn't good.

**Original cliffhanger I know. Next chapter is the chase and run. Yes, I'm stickin with canon. But, (spoiler alert!) the ending of this fanfic will have a surprise. Just you wait. See you soon. Comment and Review.**


	26. Spiral

Chapter 26: Spiral

_Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer_

_Suddenly the entire outside wall smashes to pieces, exposing them to the outside. Dawn and Buffy jumped up in alarm. Sunlight streamed in. Glory appeared in the window, which is now just a broken frame with shards of glass hanging in it._

"_I told you this wasn't over." Glory said._

"_No." Tara started to freak out. "The place is cracking! It's cracking! Cracking, no, no, no!" Dawn looked anxiously at Tara as Willow tried to calm her._

"_No, Tara, it's okay." Dawn said. Tara gasped at Dawn._

"_Oh, look at that, look at that. The light!" Buffy was staring at Glory but turned to look at Tara at this. "Oh, it's so pure! Such pure green energy!" Dawn gasped in horror and looked over at Glory in fear. Glory began to smile. "Oh, it's so beautiful." Glory's smile widened._

"_My beautiful key." Glory said. Dawn looked fearfully at Buffy. Buffy turned to glare at Glory. This wasn't good._

Buffy and Dawn stood staring at Glory. Willow kneeled on the bed next to Tara who was still staring up at Dawn. Buffy whirled around, grabbed Dawn by the hand and ran straight through the door into the dorm hallway. They crashed to the floor amid broken pieces of door. Glory laughed and started after them. Willow held up a hand. Glory suddenly couldn't move. She made an angry face. Buffy and Dawn got up an ran down the hall. Willow wrapped her other arm around Tara while she held up her right hand and speaking some Latin. Glory went flying backward, off the side of the building into some bushes. Willow and Tara got up and ran out. Buffy and Dawn ran through the lobby of the building. Buffy still had Dawn by the hand. They ran to the doors and outside. Glory came crashing through the wall into the building. People screamed and ran away. Glory walked forward, looking around, seeing the door Buffy and Dawn just exited. Glory turned into a blur as she moved forward at superhuman speed. Buffy and Dawn ran across grass.

"Buffy!" Dawn said

"We have to keep moving!" Buffy said.

"I can't!" Dawn fell to the ground. Buffy hauled her back up and scooped Dawn up in her arms, jumping over a bench and continued to run. She crossed the lawn, went across a paved pathway, heading toward the street. Glory, still a super-fast blur, moved across the lawn toward them. Buffy, still carrying Dawn, came out onto the sidewalk and suddenly Glory was in front of them. Buffy put Dawn down and they both stared fearfully at Glory.

"I really hate it when people touch my things." Glory said. Buffy and Dawn just stood there looking scared. "Last words, slay-runt?"

"Just one." Buffy said. "Truck." Glory looked to her right, just as a huge semi smashed into her. Buffy and Dawn ran off in the other direction.

…

The whole gang gathered at Xander's apartment to discuss their next move. Dawn was retelling the story of how they escaped Glory. Giles was standing and listening, Xander and Anya sitting down and Willow and Tara were on the sofa. Liam was leaning against the wall and Buffy was peering out through the closed window blinds.

"A-and then whoosh! "Dawn was finishing. "All of a sudden Glory's standing right there in front of us, all skanky and blonde and thinkin' she's all that just 'cause some bumpy heads kiss her stinky feet ... She does have nice feet. A-and she's comin' right at us, and Buffy's just standing there not even blinking, like "Bring it on," and then, wham!" she smacked one fist into the other hand. "Hell-bitch in orbit."

"Go, Buff!" Xander cheered.

"Way to go, mom." Liam said.

"I knew you'd best Glory eventually, I mean all-all our years of training…." Giles said.

"A truck hit her." Buffy said still staring out of the window.

"Oh."

"You threw it at her?" Anya asked.

"Well, no." Dawn explained.  
She more kind of waited for it to hit Glory. Uh, but then Buffy ran really fast and we got away.

"I don't know how we got away." Buffy said. "That truck couldn't have slowed her down for more than a second."

"Well, how isn't important, all that matters is that the two of you are safe." Giles said. Buffy scoffed and turned to look at him.

"Safe?" She said angrily. "We've barely been able to manage not getting seriously dead every time we've crossed paths with Glory. Now that she knows that Dawn is the key?" Giles and Dawn looked chastised.

"Mom, calm down." Liam said.

"Calm down?! Glory knows about Dawn. We aren't safe anywhere. She's going to find her and put her in lock and give her a twirl. How do expect me to calm down?" Liam looked chastised as well.

"There must be something in the _Book of Tarnis_ that we've missed, something we can use against Glory." Giles suggested. Buffy turned to look out the window again.

"Piano!" Anya abruptly said. Everyone looked at her.

"Because that's what we used to kill that big demon that one time!" Xander said sarcastically. Buffy turned to look at them with a confused frown. "No wait, that-that was a rocket launcher. An, what are you talking about?

"We should drop a piano on her. Well, it always works for that creepy cartoon rabbit when he's running from that nice man with the speech impediment." Giles rolled his eyes.

"Yes, or perhaps we could paint a convincing tunnel on the side of a mountain." He said. "Let's just keep thinking, everyone. Perhaps we should reassemble at the magic shop, see if there's anything…"

"We can't fight her." Everyone looked surprised.

"W-well not yet, no, but…"

"No, not ever. She's too strong, Giles. We're not gonna win this with, with stakes, or spells, or pulling out some uranium power core. She's a god and she's coming for us. So let's just not be here when she starts knocking."

"Run away?" Anya asked. Buffy looked at her. "Finally, a sensible plan."

"That's not what she meant." Liam said. He looked a Buffy. "Is it?"

"Well, we can't stay here!" Buffy said. "She'll just kill us off one by one until there's no one left standing between her and Dawn."

"Buffy, we all understand the severity of the situation, but there must be another way." Giles said.

"No. We stay, we die. Show of hands for that option." Everyone is silent. Then Liam raised his hand. Buffy looked surprised and shocked. "You'll stay and die at Glory's hand?"

"Well you and Dawn are there in the future." Liam explained. "So you guys stopped her somehow. And my mother and father, never ran from fights they couldn't win. They gathered their resources and struck. I don't know about you guys I never ran from fights. And I'm not going to start now."

"Then don't. But come with us and protect Dawn. I need you Liam. You are the only one beside me here that can help protect Dawn at the moment. Have you contacted your father and his team?"

"I called. Got the machine. They must still be in the other dimension."

"Then we'll go to LA and wait for him. We'll bang together to figure things out. How's that?" Liam pondered and then nodded in agreement. "All right. Nobody goes home, nobody tells anybody we're leaving. Just pack up whatever supplies we need and that's it, we're gone.

"Cool." Dawn said quietly. "Don't have to study for that geometry test."

"What about wheels?" Xander asked. "I don't think everybody's gonna fit in the Xandermobile."

"Just get your stuff together. Buffy said. "I'll handle the rest." She turned to look out the window again. Liam sighed and went over beside her.

"I hope you know what you're doing." He said.

"I hope so too." She said.

…

Out on a city street, Willow and Tara were sittingh on a bench while Giles, Liam, Anya, and Xander stand. They all had bags of stuff and were watching the cars go by.

"Anybody else feel that?" Anya asked

"What?" Liam asked.

"Cold draft of paralyzing fear."

"We just need to stay calm." Giles said.

"Calm, right. "Willow said skeptical.

"Hey, we gotta be like Sergeant Rock." Xander said. Laim rolled his eyes knowing this was some sorta comic book reference. "Cool and collected in the face of overwhelming odds."

"'Over'whelming?" Anya said turning to him. "How much more than whelming would that be exactly?"

"Look, everything will be all right, we just need to stay here calmly." Giles said. "As soon as Buffy arrives…" he was cut off as a large Winnebago drove up and screeched to a halt in front of them. The windows are all covered with aluminum foil. The door swung open. "…we'll feel oddly worse." They all picked up their stuff and climbed into the Winnebago. Willow and Anya looked with interest at the driver's area as they and Tara moved to sit around the table. Buffy was sitting at the table already, studying maps. Giles and Xander entered. Xander looked at the driver's area too and does a double-take. Spike was sitting in the driver's seat, wearing a large pair of black goggles.

"What's he doing here?" Xander asked grimly. Liam came from behind him and slapped upside of the head. "OW! Will you stop doing that?"

"Stop being stupid." Liam retorted. "We need him."

"The hell we do."

"If Glory finds us, he's the only one besides me and Liam that has any chance of protecting Dawn." Buffy said looking up.

Buffy, come on…"

"Do you want me to hit you again?" Liam said angrily.

"Look, this isn't a discussion!" Buffy said jumping up angrily. "He stays. Get over it." She took one of the maps and stormed into the back room, slamming the door. Dawn watched anxiously. Xander turned to Liam who had a smug look.

"You heard her." He went to the passenger's seat by spike and sat down. "Hey, Uncle Spike."

"Hey there nephew." Spike said and turned to Xander grinning hugely. Xander glared at him. "Buckle up, kids. Daddy's puttin' the hammer down." Spike put the RV in gear and began driving. Everyone clutched the walls and each other for balance. The RV rolled down the street.

…

They drove down residential streets and screeched around a corner. Liam was driving now. Giles was in the passenger seat. Dawn, Willow, Tara, Anya, and Xander sat around the table. Spike sat on the floor beside Dawn, looking irritated. Willow is studying a book.

"Shouldn't somebody be asking, 'Are we there yet'?" Anya asked. Willow looked up from her book briefly, then returned to it. Anya looked to Xander. "Isn't that what small entertaining children do?" Xander didn't reply. He looked ill.

"That kinda only works if you know where you're going." Dawn said. Anya nodded and ponderd. Xander groaned softly.

"Do we know where we're going yet?" Anya asked Liam.

"We'd already be somewhere if Captain Slowpoke would give up the wheel." Spike said. "Hey! Nephew! Bloody step on it!"

"Step on what?" Liam asked annoyed. "I've driven tricycles with more power." Everyone looked up as the vehicle jostled and bumped.

"Is anybody else queasy?" Xander groaned. Anya rubbed his arm sympathetically.

"He doesn't travel well. He's like fine shrimp." Anya said.

"I shoulda nicked that Mustang I had my eye on." Spike said to Dawn "There's just enough room for me, you, Liam, and big sis." Xander gave Spike a queasy glare. "What?"

"Would you give it a rest, or..."

"Or what, you're gonna toss your cookies on my shoes?"

"Or you can be undead man walking. See how fast you can hitch a ride with a flaming thumb."

"Death threats are only made by the driver." Liam said. "One more threat outta any one of you and you'll be on fire." Everyone went silent. They had left the city now and were driving on a highway. Willow continued studying her book. Dawn peered over her shoulder.

"Any luck?" Dawn asked.

"Uh, if you define luck as the absence of success, plenty." Willow responded. "There's a couple barrier spells, but... they only work on a fixed locus. Haven't found anything that'll work while we're still moving.

"So pretty, can I have one?" Tara asked looking at Dawn. Tara tried to reach past Willow to touch Dawn. Willow gently pushed Tara's arm back.

"Come on." Willow said to Tara and pushes her back into her seat.

"Anyone hungry?" Dawn asked.

"Ooh! Snacks!" Anya said. "The secret to any successful migration." Anya reached into her backpack and pulled out a frying pan and reached in again. "Who's up for some tasty fried meat products?" She held up a can of SPAM. No one looked interested. Tara reacheed over to the window and opened the blinds. Sunlight streamed in, hitting Spike's hand.

"Hey! Aah!" he screamed. Liam looked behind him. Spike jumped away from the table as Willow pulled Tara back from the window.

"Tara, no!" Willow said. "What did I tell you?" Tara whined loudly in protest. Spike cradled his smoking hand. Tara continued whimpering. Willow pulled Tara's head to her chest to comfort her, looking over at Spike. "I'm sorry. She, she didn't mean to." Spike nodded understanding.

"You ok?" Liam aksed.

"Yeah." Spike said. "I'll be fine." Liam retuned back to the road.

"She doesn't know what she's doing." Willow said as Tara continued to whimper.

"No biggie. Look, the skin's already stopped smoking. You go ahead and play ... peek-a-boo with Mister Sunshine all you like. It keeps the ride from getting boring."

"All the light is gone." Tara said crying.

"No, shh, baby. The light's still outside, okay?" Willow said comforting. Dawn watched with concern. Willow continued trying to comfort Tara. Liam looked behind him again and then back at the road, sighing.

"Are you alright?" Giles asked.

"I should know about this stuff." Liam said. "I should know what's going to happen and then help mom out. Not know nothing and help her run."

"Well we can't change the past." Liam gave Giles a look. "Or I guess you can. But at the moment, there isn't anything we can do except protect Dawn for as long as we can."

"Till my last breathe." Liam muttered then got up. "Take the wheel." Giles went into the driver's seat and started to drive.

Buffy was sitting in the back room, leaning against the wall. The door opens and Liam entered.

"Hey mom." He said. Buffy gave him a weak smile. Liam sat down next to his mother. "Everything will be ok. We just need to have faith." He held her hand. Buffy looked to him and started to cry. Liam leaned over and held his crying mother. "It's going to be ok." He whispered to her.

…

Buffy had calmed later as Dawn peeked in.

"Hey." She said. "I think Anya's gonna try to cook. Wanna come watch the tears and recriminations?"

"Maybe later." Buffy said with a small smile. Dawn started to retreat, then leaned back and gathered her nerves.

"Thanks."

"For what?" buffy said looking up.

"You know. Pretty much everything."

"Yeah. I'm doin' a great job."

"You are, mom." Liam said firmly. Buffy scoffed.

"I'm the Slayer. The chosen one. All mythic and defender-y. Evil nasties are supposed to flee from me. Not the other way around."

"You're not fleeing. "Dawn said. "You're ... moving at a brisk pace."

"Quaintly referred to in some cultures as the big scaredy runaway." Dawn walked over and sat on Buffy's other side.

"It's the most amazing thing anyone's ever done for me." Buffy looked over at her with a pained expression, then away.

"It just keeps coming." Buffy's voice was cracking. "Glory ... Tara ... Mom."

"We know." Liam said. "But there's a bright side."

"There is?"

"At least things can't get any crazier. Right?" Suddenly they all jumped as an arrow shot through the window and landed in the wall a little ways from Buffy's head. Liam stared at it in horror. Buffy gave him an almost amused look.

"You know this is your fault for saying that." Liam laughed a little. Buffy pulled down a corner of the Venetian blinds to peek outside. She saw a bunch of knights riding horses up alongside the Winnebago, swinging their weapons. Buffy, Liam, and Dawn stared for a moment, then Buffy turned away from the window and sighed.

"Me and my big mouth." Liam said. The RV drove on. The knights were about a hundred feet back but closing fast. Buffy, Liam, and Dawn rushed into the main cabin.

"Giles!" Buffy yelled.

"I see them." Giles said.

"See who?" Spike asked. Several knights rode up alongside the RV on either side. One had a crossbow and shot another arrow into the side. Spike jumped aside as the arrow appeared in the wall beside him. "Bloody hell!"

"Arrows." Xander said. "They're throwing arrows!"

"No shit, Sherlock." Liam said. Tara peeked out the window. The knights continued to ride up alongside the vehicle. They shot more arrows.

"Dawn, get down under the table." Buffy told her and pushed Dawn to the floor. Anya also ducked under the table. The knight's shot more arrows. Willow pulled Tara away just as an arrow appeared in the wall beside her. They ducked under the table. Arrows appear in the wall beside Giles.

"Weapons?" Giles asked. Buffy tossed a bag to Spike.

"Hello! You're driving one!" Spike pointed out.

"This should do nicely." Liam said pulling out his gun.

"Don't hit the horsies!" Willow said.

"Oh, we won't!" Buffy said moved up next to Giles and Liam. "Aim for the horsies." Giles turned the wheel trying to hit them, but the horses move out of the way. Giles swung the wheel again to get back on the road. The RV was still being pursued by the horsemen. One of the men rode up alongside the back of the RV, grabbing onto the ladder on its side and climbed onto the roof.

"Did we shake 'em?" Xander asked. The knight's sword stabbed through the ceiling inches from Xander's head, making him jump. Giles, Liam, and Buffy look up. Buffy and Liam moved back toward the rear. Spike continues looking in the bag of weapons. The knight stabbed down again.

"Stay low!" Buffy warned. Liam crouched and looked up waiting. The knight stabbed again. "Watch out for the…" The sword point came in directly at Buffy's head. Spike reached up with both hands and grabbed the sword, stopping it from stabbing Buffy in the head. She ducked. The knight tried to pull his sword free but couldn't. Spike continued holding onto it with both hands.

"Now might be a good time for something heroic." Spike said. Liam aimed and fired his gun. The knight took the bullets and fell off the RV.

"Heroic enough for ya?" Liam asked. Spike gave him a look. Another knight rode up and climbed on to the roof. "There's another one."

"Xander! Hatch!" Buffy said. Buffy climbed up on the table and opened the hatch in the roof. Xander boosted her up and through it. She emerged in front the knight. He pulled out his sword. The knight thrusted at Buffy. She ducked, backed away from his second swing, wheeled and kicked his legs out from under him. He went down and Buffy got on top of him, blocking another swing, punching him. He dropped the sword. Buffy punched the knight in the face a few times, then he blocked and punched her. He kicked her in the head and she fell over the side, holding onto the railing along the top of the RV. She hung there as a knight rode alongside holding a mace.

Spike sat at the table beside Dawn. His hands were bloody and he had some rags. He tried to use his teeth to rip them up. Dawn grabbed ripped up the rags. Tara and Willow emerge from under the table. Giles continues driving. Liam moved to the back room and opened the blinds. He saw the knights and aimed his weapon. He fired, breaking the glass, and hitting a knight who fell off. He aimed again and got another one. He kept firing at whatever he could get.

Back on the roof, Buffy was still hanging. The knight crouched above Buffy to hit her, but she kicked upward and he fell back. Buffy vaulted back up onto the roof. They both stood and faced off. Another knight rode alongside and throws a grappling hook onto the railing. He begins climbing up the side. Buffy punched the first knight, whirled around and kicked him. He fell off the side with a scream. The second knight reached the roof as another grappling hook catches on the railing.

A knight busted through the window of the RV, making both Dawn and Spike shriek and jump aside. The knight tried to grab Dawn. Spike yelled in pain from the sunlight.

Giles looks back. Shot from outside of the side of the van with the knight hanging on it, his upper half inside the window. Sounds of Spike and Dawn and the knight yelling. Liam heard the commotion and came out from the back, closing the door so that the sunlight wouldn't harm Spike. He saw the knight trying grab Dawn. Liam moved in front of her and fired his weapon, hitting the knight in the face.

"Didn't know ya had in ya to kill humans." Spike said.

"Just takes practice." Liam said coldly.

Back on the roof, two soldiers now faced Buffy. One with an axe, the other with a mace. She punched the one with the axe, kicked the other one, kicked the first one, ducked to take a mace blow on her back, punched the mace-wielder, did a back-flip and kicked them both in their faces. Buffy picked up the first knight's sword from where he dropped it, twirled it around. The mace chain wrapped around the sword blade and she used it to pull the knight closer. Behind him the knight with the axe tried to attack but Buffy kicked him away. She spun the mace-holder around, kneed him in the stomach and threw him off the side of the RV, taking the mace and the sword with him. Buffy ducks an axe swing, kicked the knight in the chest, grabbed his axe hand and hit him with her other hand. He got hold of her from behind as another knight climbed up the ladder. Buffy was struggling with the knight with the axe. She heard gunshots as the knight feel off the side. Liam stood behind where the knight stood holding his gun and reloading. A knight came up from the ladder. Liam finished reloading and shot him. He fell off.

"You know I don't like those things." Buffy said to him.

"Yeah, well, see my future." Liam said. "you'll change your mind."

Inside to RV, it seemed quiet. Spike was on the floor with Dawn crouching over him, Willow and Anya and Tara were on the other side of the table, all listening. Giles peered out at his mirror. The knights behind him started backing off. Giles let out a sigh of relief. Xander does the same although he still looked queasy. Giles glanced back.

"Everyone all right?" he asked. Everyone seemed to be all right. Giles smileed slightly as he turned back to the road. He saw another knight on horseback coming straight at him, holding a spear. Giles looked horrified and tried to twist the wheel. The knight threw the spear. It flew through the window and into Giles' side, impaling him. He gasped and is thrown forward onto the steering wheel. Everyone shrieked and gasped as the RV jostles, out of control. Buffy and Liam were still on the roof, struggling to keep their balance. They leaped off the roof, landing on the ground and rolled. They sat up in time to see the RV go careening off the road, falling over onto its side, and coming to a stop in a huge cloud of dust. They both looked shock and horrified. They got up and headed over to the RV. Liam climbed on top of the RV and smashed a window. He looked inside.

"Everyone alright?" he asked.

"Just dandy." Spike said getting up and grabbing a blanket.

"Dawn?"

"I'm ok." Dawn said looking up at Liam. Liam held out his hand and lifted Dawn up and out for the Rv. He let her down on the road where Buffy checked her for injuries and then hugged her.

"Oh man." Liam heard Xander say. "Giles."

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Giles is hurt baldy." Liam went into the RV and saw Giles lying on the floor, or wall now, with a wound in his side. Liam saw the spear and knew what happened. He helped Xander gather up Giles and brought him out of the RV through the open ceiling hatch. Buffy helped Xander hold up Giles as Liam made sure everyone else was out of the RV.

"Ok. No wheels. We need to find shelter."

"Yeah, right bloody quick." Spike said. "I'm burning up out here." They started walking in a direction away from the RV. They saw an abandoned gas station with a rusting old truck in front of it not too far away and headed to it. Spike went in first, kicking the door open and hurrying inside. The others followed.

"Careful." Buffy said. Dawn coughed from the dust, watching with concern as the others bring Giles in. Anya closed the door behind them. Inside, it looked like an empty room with little or no furniture. The windows were boarded up but incompletely, so stripes of light entered the room. There was a long sort of counter halfway in. "Spike." Spike and Xander help Buffy bring Giles over to the counter. Giles groaned in pain. The lower left side of his stomach is covered in blood. Giles groaned more as Xander and Spike lift him onto the counter. Spike also groaned in pain from his wounded hands. Spike finished helping Giles onto the counter and hurried out of the sunlight. Willow and Tara came up next to Giles. Willow put a bag under Giles's head. He was sweaty and panting. Liam started to check the gas station. Buffy went over to Dawn. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. "Dawn said. " B-but Spike's hurt." Buffy turned to Spike, grabbing his wrist to look at his injured hands.

"Ow! Easy with the delicates." He said. Buffy turned back to Dawn

"They'll heal."

"Florence bloody Nightingale to the rescue." Buffy ignored Spike went to the window and looked through the boards. No one was in sight. Liam came in from checking the place.

"Locks on the backdoor are Deadbolt," he said. "Schlage and they're the same as the front. There's a wood-frame, stucco exterior, lath and plaster walls, stone in the rear. They won't come in too heavy, so then the walls should be provide cover."

"Good job." Buffy said. "That should help if they come back for us."

"Um, you have another plan, right?" Anya asked her. Buffy turned from the window to look at her. "One that doesn't involve pointy knives and a Winnebago?"

"We-we-we'll rest here for a minute, but then we have to keep moving."

"Where?" Xander asked.

"LA for now." She turned to Liam. "Have tried calling your father?" Liam pulled out his phones and dialed. It rang a few times then he got the voice mail. He tried the hotel number but got the machine.

"Dammit." Liam said. "Angel, it's Liam. The gang and I are hauled up in an abandon gas station on the outskirts of Sunnydale. Glory knows about Dawn. We are on the run and could sure use some help. Call me back when you get this message." He hung up. "We're on our own."

"So where to now?" Xander asked.

"I don't know!" Buffy said desperately. "We just, we, we, we can't, can't stay here. I-it's too close to the wreck, we're too easy to find."

"Buffy!" Willow said. Buffy ran over to where Willow was standing over Giles.

"Will, how is he?" Willow had her hands on Giles's wound. Giles was sweaty and had blood coming out of his mouth. "Will?"

"I-I think I slowed the bleeding, but..." Giles continued breathing shallowly, his eyes closed.

"Okay. Okay, just-just give me a minute." Buffy turned away trying to think. Suddenly a flaming arrow shot through a boarded-up window and embed in the opposite wall. Everyone turned. "Dawn, get down!" Another fiery arrow broke through some glass that was left in a window. Xander pulled the first arrow out of the window and stomped out the fire on the ground. Buffy pushed Dawn behind the counter. Dawn sat on the floor, protected on three sides. More fiery arrows came shooting through the windows. Willow pushed a whimpering Tara down to a crouch. Xander peeked out the hole made by one arrow. A bunch of knights were setting up, mostly hiding behind the abandoned truck and gas pumps with their bows and arrows. There were a few garbage barrels with fires lit in them.

"We got company." Xander said.

"Then lets give them a proper welcome." Liam said checking his gun. More arrows shot through the windows. Xander turned back inside.

"And they brought a crusade." The knights continued firing their arrows. The general rode up on horseback. Everyone in the gas station was crouching down. Buffy ran toward the wall.

"Willow!" she said. Willow was crouching beside the counter, with one hand stretched up to keep pressure on Giles's wound while her other hand was flipping the pages of a magic book. Tara huddled next to her whimpering and covering her head.

"I'm working on it!" Willow said.

"Work faster Will." Liam said and went by the boarded up window and looked out. "Now if only I had my team with me, this would be over in about 30 seconds." He muttered to himself. Buffy and Spike together shoved a large coffee machine in front of the door and tipped it over on its side. Multiple knights attacked the boarded-up windows of the building with various weapons, trying to break in. A knight's axe broke through the wall right next to Dawn's head. She screamed. The knight continued hacking and then reached an arm in. Dawn screamed again.

"Buffy!" she screamed. "Liam." Buffy ran over to help, but a knight came through the door beside the counter. He punched Buffy and she fell aside. Xander and Anya hid. Spike lunged at the knight, punching him, then screamed in pain and clutched his head. The knight lifted his weapon to strike Spike but Buffy intervened, kicking him and then punching him. He punched her back. The boards on the windows rattled as more knights pounded on them and the glass shattered. Spike covered his head as glass fell on him.

"Would you mind shooting them?" Spike yelled to Liam.

"Only if it's one shot, one kill." Liam replied. "I only got two clips left."

"Bollocks." Spike said. Buffy kicked the knight again and he stumbled back. He turned and thrusted his weapon at her but she blocked it, kicking him, then twisting around and flipping him over her shoulder. He fell unconscious on the floor. Xander ran out from his hiding place and grabbed the unconscious knight and began dragging him away. The other knights continued beating on the walls and windows, knocking out the glass with their weapons. Dawn stood up cautiously from behind the counter and was confronted by the bleeding Giles. She looked at his wound in dismay. The general entered. Buffy turned to look at him. He pointed his sword.

"The key." He said. Dawn looked frightened.

"Sorry, all out." Liam said pointing his gun and shooting it. He hit the general in the arm. He fell down in pain.

"Enemies, fly and fall." Willow said sitting on the floor beside the counter, with her legs crossed holding the book. Her eyes were all black again. "Circling arms, raise a wall." She raised her arms and a circle of light emitted from them, expanding outward. The sphere came through the walls and all the knights were forced backward, flying through the air. They landed several feet away from the building as the bubble held. Willow and Tara get to their feet as Buffy came to check Giles's wound.

"Will? How long will it hold?" Buffy asked.

"Half a day maybe." Willow said uncertainly. Buffy and Dawn watched as Willow went to the window and peeked out. She saw to two clerics chanting while the knights waited behind them. "Or till Heckle and Jeckle punch a hole through it." Buffy and Dawn look nervous. Spike walked forward, looking down at the ground.

"So." he said. "What's the story with these role-playing rejects?" Buffy looked to the general who was clutching his wounded arm and Liam stood over him with his gun pointed at him.

"Let's find out." Liam said.

…

They tied the general to a pillar in a rear room of the building. Buffy stood in front of him with her arms folded. Liam was behind her, with his gun still drawn. Dawn was standing by the door watching. Spike was standing off to the side.

"You sure Scarface here can habla the English?" Spike asked.

"He understands me." Buffy said. "Don't you?"

"You were warned we would return, Slayer." The general said.

"Took you long enough. What are you supposed to be, some kind of chief?"

"General." He sneered.

"General." She took a step forward. "In charge of what, getting captured?"

"You do not frighten me, child." He looked at Dawn. "The instrument of chaos must be destroyed." Buffy stepped forward to him and put her hand on his wound. He grunted in pain.

"Look at her that way again, and she will be the last thing you ever see." She said angrily. She let go and stepped back.

"As I've been told, you protect the key of the beast." The general panted.

"It's not that simple."

"Yes. The key has been transformed, given ... breath, life. Yet, this makes no difference. The key is the link. The link must be severed. Such is the will of god."

"She doesn't remember anything about being this key you're all looking for. The only thing that she remembers is growing up with a mother, and a sister that love her. What kind of god would demand her life for something that she has no control over?" The general didn't respond. "We are not your enemy. Tell your men to stand down." The general looked at Dawn

"No."

"It is not her fault! She's human now!"

"The key is too dangerous ... to be allowed to exist. No matter what form it has been pressed into."

"I will not let anyone tell me…" Buffy broke off as she heard a wailing from the next room and Willow saying 'Shh, shh.' Xander turned to look through the door. Buffy, Dawn, Spike, and Xander go into the other room where Anya is watching helplessly as Willow tried to calm Tara. Liam stayed behind and looked a the general with a stern look. He gripped his gun tight.

"Shh, shh, shh." Willow said.

"What happened?"

"I-I don't know, she just went nuts." Anya explained. Tara whimpered frantically and struggled to get free from Willow who was holding her still. Tara finally broke free.

"Time! Time, time!" Tara said. She ran over to the boarded-up windows and clawed at them. Willow ran after her and tried to pull her away. Tara broke free and ran to another part of the wall, whimpering in agitation. The others watched helplessly. Willow grabbed Tara around the torso, pinning her arms to her sides as Tara continued to whimper.

"We have to do something!" Willow said to Buffy. "She, she can't stay this way. Buffy!"

"Time... time... time..." buffy watched and then tunred looking at Giles who was still on the counter holding his wound. She went over to him and held his hand.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"For what?" Giles asked.

"We should have stayed. If we had, none of this would have happened."

"Don't. What you did ... w-was necessary ... what I've always admired."

"Running away?"

"Being able to place ... your heart ... above all else." He breathed shakily while Buffy watched with concern. "I'm so proud of you. You've come so far. You're everything a Watcher ... everything I could have hoped for." Buffy had tears in her eyes. She sniffled. Giles made a pained face and closed his eyes. Buffy looked anxiously at their entwined hands, then at Giles's stomach. He continued breathing shallowly, seeming to have fallen asleep. Buffy gently removed his hand from hers. Buffy turned away from Giles with a resolute expression.

"Willow." She said. Willow looked up at her. "Open a door." Willow looked uncertainly from Buffy to the wall and back. Outside, a hole appears in the barrier as Buffy came out of the building followed by Xander. Several knights came forward. They stopped at the edge of the barrier

"Speak." One of them said.

"One of my friends was hurt when you attacked us."

"And ten of my men are dead. Honorable men." He draws his sword. "Shall we balance the scale?"

"Will you let someone come and help him or not?"

"Give quarter to an agent of the beast? What madness would move me to such action?"

"I'm done asking." Buffy started forward but Xander intervened, stopping her, as the knights were preparing for Buffy's attack.

"Whoa, whoa, hey!" Xander said. "Uh ... this is war, isn't it? And if there's one thing I've learned from Sergeant Rock, it is in war ... there are rules. Or at least there should be, if you're as honorable as you think you are. Plus, we do have your general forehead guy." The knight considered this.

Buffy went back into the gas station and into the back where Liam and the general were still at. Liam had not moved a muscle since Buffy left.

"I need your phone." Buffy said. Liam reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, not braking eye contact with the general. Buffy grabbed the phone and started to dial. "Hey, uh, i-it's Buffy. I need to ask you a really big favor."

…

A car drove up to the gas station where the army of knights stood around watching. Ben was at the wheel. He stopped the car and looked fearfully out the window at the knights, who all held weapons and glared at him. Ben took a deep breath, picked up his black bag from the seat, and got out of the car.

"He's here." Xander said, peering through the window.

"Willow, make and opening." Buffy said. Willow nodded. Ben entered a second later with his bag. Buffy met him. "He's over here." She led him to Giles on the counter. Ben immedialty wen t owork tending Gile's wound.

"You, uh, forgot to mention the costume party outside." Ben said.

"Sorry. I-I didn't know who else to call."

"No, it's okay. I mean, yeah, not ... how I pictured seeing you again, but, uh ... I'll take what I can get."

"Thank you ... for coming."

"My pleasure." Ben looked past Buffy. Dawn was standing a few feet away with Xander. Ben continued looking at Dawn.

Later, Giles was unconscious. He had a bandage wrapped around his abdomen. Ben pulled a blanket up over Giles's stomach and pack away his stethoscope while Buffy stood watching.

"All right, I think I got him stabilized, but there's a lot of damage." Ben said. "We need to get him out of here."

"Well, I think the guys with the pointy swords kinda have other ideas."

"Don't they always."

"Look, I know this must seem extra 'Outer Limits' to you."

"This? Naah. I've seen things you wouldn't believe. You know, emergency room, full moon on a Saturday night."

"Look, if this gets too weird, just tell me. I'll understand."

"Don't worry about me. I won't leave until I've worn out my welcome." He smiled. Buffy smiled back, then looked with concern at Giles. Giles was breathing shallowly and unevenly. Buffy's took a hold of Gile's hand and held it. "n the back room. Liam was still standing watching the tied-up general as Spike tried to light a cigarette with his bandaged hands. He fumbled with the lighter

"Ow." He whispered. Spike shook his hand in pain and annoyance. Liam turned form the general and walked over to Spike. He took the lighter and lit it. "Thanks." Liam held up the lighter to Spike's cigarette, lighting it. Then Liam closed the lighter and put it in his pocket as Spike took a drag.

"You know, those things'll kill you." Liam said. Spike gave him a look. "I know. just making fun." Spike smiled. They stood side by side, leaning against the wall, as Spike smoked. "How're your hands?" Spike sighed looking around.

"Nothing compared to the little bits we're gonna get chopped into when the Renaissance Faire kicks the door in. And here we bloody sit."

"It's not like we got much of a choice."

"Could make a break for it! Use General Armor-All as a shield get to the doc's car, and…"

"I applaud the frontal assault, but we need everyone hear. I need everyone hear."

"And we're all gonna make it." they heard a voice from the door and looked to see Buffy standing there. "I'm not losing anyone." Spike nodded his head. "Check the supplies. See if anyone's hungry." Spike looked at Liam, then walked out. Liam looked at Buffy who was staring at the floor looking pensive. The general chuckled and Buffy closed her eyes briefly, then looked angrily at him. Liam had the same face.

"Dissention in the ranks." The general said. "Seldom a harbinger of glad tidings." Buffy scowled and walked over to him and backhanded him across the face. Liam walked behind her and pointed his gun at the side of the generals head.

"Shut up." Buffy said.

"You wanna die?" Liam asked. "I'll be glad to oblige." The general turned his head and spat blood.

"Poor frightened girl." He said. "You've no idea what you've gotten yourself into." Buffy crossed her arms.

"Why don't you tell me?" she said.

"Would it make a difference?"

"Certainly would to us." Liam said. There was a pause

"What do you know of the beast?" the general asked.

"Strong. Fast. Hellgod." Buffy responded.

"From a dimension of unspeakable torment."

"A demon dimension. I know. She ruled with two other hellgods, right?"

"Along with the beast they were a triumvirate of suffering and despair. Ruling with equal vengeance. But the beast's power grew beyond even what they could conceive. As did her lust for pain and misery. They looked upon her, what she had become ... and trembled." Liam looked to Buffy and lowered his gun.

"A god afraid?" Buffy said nervously.

"Such was her power. They feared she would attempt to seize their dimension for herself, and decided to strike first. A great battle erupted. In the end, they stood victorious over the beast ... barely. She was cast out. Banished to this lower plane of existence, forced to live and eventually die trapped within the body of a mortal ... a newborn male, created as her prison. That is the beast's ... only weakness."

"Kill the man and the god dies." Liam said. "Sounds simple enough."

"Unfortunately, the identity of the human vessel has never been discovered."

"I don't understand." Buffy asked. "Now, I've seen Glory. Not a whole lot going on in the hairy chest department."

"You have seen a glimpse of the true beast. Her power was too great to be completely contained. She's found a way to escape her mortal prison ... for brief periods, before her energies are exhausted and she's forced back ... into her living cell of meat and bone."

"What about me?" Buffy and Liam turned to see Dawn standing in the doorway. "What about the key?"

"Dawn." Buffy said.

"I want to know."

"The key," the general started to explain. "is almost as old as the beast itself. Where it came from, how it was created ... the deepest of mysteries. All that is certain is that its power is absolute. Countless generations of my people have sacrificed their lives in search of it, to destroy it before its wrath could be unleashed."

"But the monks found it first."

"Yes, and hid it with their magics."

"Why didn't they just destroy it?" Buffy asked. "If the key is as dangerous as…"

"Because they were fools. They thought they could harness its power for the forces of light. They failed, and paid with their blood."

"What do I do?" Dawn asked. "What was I created for?"

"You were created ... to open the gates that separate dimensions. The beast will use your power ... to return home and seize control of the hell she was banished from." Liam laughed. The general looked at her in surprise.

"That's it?" he asked and then got angry. "That's Glory's master plan ... to go home? The nlets call her up and make a deal."

"You misunderstand. Once the key is activated, it won't just open the gates to the beast's dimension. It's going to open all the gates. The walls separating realities will crumble." Liam's smile faded. "Dimensions will bleed into each other. Order will be overthrown and the universe will tumble into chaos ... all dark ... forever."

"Deals off then." Liam said looking dismayed.

"That ... is what you were created for." Dawn stared at the general, then looked down. She turned and walked out. Buffy followed. Liam stood by the general's side.

"If she can really open the portals to hell, is there a way to control it so that it doesn't unleash hell on earth?" Liam asked.

"No." the general said. "Chaos will be brought down. She can not live." Liam pointed his gun at the general.

"Same goes for you buddy."

…

Buffy emerging from the back room into another room.

"Dawn." She said. Dawn was sitting on a table nearby. She had her back to Buffy.

"You think it's true ... what he said?" Dawn asked not turning. Buffy walked forward with a sigh, sitting next to Dawn. They look at each other.

"I don't know."

"Destroyer of the universe. I guess cutting school doesn't seem so bad now, huh?"

"It's not you. You know that."

"But it's in me ... isn't it? It's inside me."

"There is a demon inside Angel. And he fought him for over a hundred years and he still did a lot of good. Liam says that he has a demon inside him and he's helped save many lives. I don't care what's inside you Dawn. I care about you period." They looked at each other for a moment, then Dawn looked away.

"What are we gonna do?" Buffy frowned slightly, then put her arms around Dawn's shoulders and pulled Dawn close, resting Dawn's head on her cheek.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." They sat there quietly. Buffy sighed.

…

In the back room, Willow is trying to feed Tara while the general watched and Liam watched him.

"Wriggling!" Tara said upset.

"Come on, Tara, you have to eat something." Willow said. Tara turned her head aside and whimpered. Liam walked up to her.

"Want me to try?" he asked.

"I don't know. I'm gettin' used to pickin' fruit out of my hair." Ben was standing over a small sink nearby doing something with gauze.

"You!" the general whispered to him. Ben stopped what he's doing but didn't look at the general. "You are not a part of this, are you?"

"Just a friend of the family." Ben said not looking.

"Would you die for them?" Ben turned to look at him. "Because that is what your future holds if you align yourself with the Slayer and her misguided people." Ben walked closer looking angry.

"It's my life, and I'll do what I please with it."

"It's not just your life. Unimaginable legions will perish, including everyone here. You can stop this. You can save all their lives by ending one. The little girl. The key. Destroy it, and the will of the beast will be broken, she will fade, a distant memory and all of this madness will end." Ben looked uncertain. Then he just glared at him.

"Ain't gonna happen." Liam said looking at them. They turned to look at him. "No one is going to harm Dawn." He said. Ben suddenly turned away. "Ben?" Ben had his back to Liam, putting a hand shakily to his forehead. Liam stared at him looking confused. "What's wrong?" Ben ram into the main room.

"You have to let me out." He said. Liam followed. The others begin to gather.

"Ben?"

"You don't understand, I gotta get out, open a door now!"

"What happened?" Buffy asked.

"I-I don't know, he just freaked out." Liam explained.

"Let me out!" Ben said frantically.

"Okay, W-Will, open a door." Liam said. Willow turned away from Tara to see what was going on.

"No! Ha!" Ben put his hands to his head and suddenly morphed into Glory, who turned the movement into a stretch. She slowly brought her arms down and looked around. Everyone stares in horror.

"That's something you don't see everyday." Liam said. Buffy pushed Dawn behind her. Glory looked around in surprise then began to smile.

"Well, what do you know." she said. "Little Ben finally did something right."

"The beast." The general said.

"Hey, it's Gregor." Glory grabbed a hubcap that was hanging nearby and threw it like a Frisbee. It flew into the general's chest. Everyone stared. Gregor fell forward against his bonds, dead. "Now it's not." Spike rushed at Glory with a yell, Xander was right behind him. Glory hit Spike and he crashed backward into Xander. They both fell against the wall.

"Hold it." Lima said standing in front of Glory. "Let's make a deal." Glory looked confused.

"A deal?"

"Yeah. A deal. You wanna go back home. We want you gone. Our interests are aligned." Glory pondered this for a moment.

"I'm listening."

"You want the key to go home. We have it. We'll give it to you."

"What?" Buffy said. "No."

"Wait." Liam said looking at her then back at Glory. "Provided that we find a way to do it without killing Dawn and unleashing hell on this world."

"Why would I do that? I don't care about this world."

"But you'll have our help and no opposition. Things would progress a lot faster with us." Glory thought about it.

"Nah. I prefer to take instead of deal." Liam looked beaten and turned to Buffy.

"Took a shot." He pulled out his gun and fired at Glory. Emptying the clip. Glory stumbled back a foot but the bullets didn't penetrate her. "Then I took 15 more." Glory grabbed Liam and threw into the wall. Buffy rushed at Glory as the guys tried to get up. Glory hit Buffy and she crashed into Willow, both of them hitting the wall and then falling to the floor. Glory turned to look at Dawn, giving a little laugh. Dawn looked frightened. Glory ran forward and grabbed Dawn. Anya grabbed Dawn from the other side but Glory pulled her free and began running out.

"Buffy!" Dawn cried. Buffy painfully tried to get up as Glory crashes out the door dragging Dawn. Liam got up and followed, reloading his weapon. Glory and Dawn burst out, running forward and into the barrier, which stopped them. Glory swung her free arm at the barrier and broke a hole in it. She ran through it, pulling Dawn with her. The hole began to close as Buffy and Liam emerged from the building. They ran into the barrier just as it finished closing.

"Dawn!" they both yelled. Buffy turned and ran back inside, moving with a slight limp. Liam followed

"Willow!" Buffy said. Willow lifted her head. Her eyes were black again. "Get it down, now!"

"Hear, hear my plea." Willow chanted. Buffy ran back out again. "Circling arm protecting me." Buffy came running out as the barrier disappeared. Buffy limped forward and looked around. All the knights were lying dead on the ground. Buffy walked forward slowly, looking around at the corpses in horror. Spike, Liam, Xander, Willow, Tara, and Anya burst out, slowing down when they saw the scene. "We have to…" Willow said and stopped. Buffy walked slowly forward, looking around.

"The beast." One knight panted still alive. Spike, Liam, and Xander stared around. Tara whimpered and hid her face in Willow's shoulder.

"The car." Spike pointed. "Get the keys." Spike and Xander ran off. Liam looked at his mother who continued staring. Willow, Liam, Tara, and Anya started forward.

"Buffy!" Willow said. "Buffy, we have to find Dawn. We, we can't let Glory…" Buffy abruptly sat down on the ground. "Buffy? Buffy!" Tears ran down Buffy's face. Willow and Tara walk over to her. Liam kneeled down in front of her.

"Mom." He said. "Mom, you have to get up! We need you!" Buffy just sat, the tears flowing, staring in front of her. "Mom, please! Mom." He held her shoulders and shook a bit. "Mom!" Buffy didn't stir.

**Please don't hate me for having Liam try to make a deal. He wanted this apocalypse to end with the least amount of bloodshed and everyone to still be ok. excuse him for trying to negotiate. As usual, Comment and review. Stay tune. We are getting close to the end of this season. You may be in for a surprise.**


	27. The Weight of the World

Chapter 27: The Weight of the World

**Hey. We're getting very close to the end. I know you all want different endings to season, but you just have to wait for it. In this chapter, Buffy's catatonic, Liam is getting anxious, and Spike learns a truth that Liam had been keeping. Enjoy.**

Buffy hadn't reacted to anything that the gang did. Liam carried her into the gas station and sat her down. They all tried to figure out their next move.

"Better part of a century spent in delinquency just paid off." Spike said nodding toward the door. "Hotwired Ben's auto. Who's for gettin' the hell out of here?"

"All in favor, let's do it." Xander said and looked to Giles. "You good to go?"

"Oh, don't worry about me." Giles said. "How's Buffy?"

"The same." Liam said staring at his mother. "Still."

"It's been almost a half an hour." Willow said.

"The Slayer's gonna be all right, won't she?" Spike asked. Nobody said anything. Liam kneeled down to Buffy and looked at her.

"Mom." He said. "Can you hear me? Mom! Buffy!" Buffy just sat there with her hands folded in her lap. She stared straight ahead and didn't seem to hear or see anything. "Mom!" nothing. "Mom!"

"She can't just be brain-dead." Spike said pacing around behind Xander. "I mean ... she's still Buffy somewhere in there, right?"

"Spike, come on, we're not gonna get Dawn back by sittin' around here." Xander said.

"You're not gonna get Dawn back any way you slice it, Harris, it's for Buffy to decide."

"Good, panic. That oughta help."

"We should move her." Willow said. "U-unless we shouldn't. Should we?"

"Couldn't that make it worse?" Anya asked. "I think I read that somewhere."

"I am so large with not knowing."

"It's impossible to know for sure." Giles said. "Losing Dawn, after all that Buffy's been through ... I think it's pushed her too far into some sort of catatonia."

"You don't need a diploma to see that." Liam said still staring at Buffy. He grabbed Buffy by the shoulders and shook her. "Buffy!"

"We tried that!" Xander said. Liam clenched his hand into a fist.

"Sorry." He said to Buffy, then punched Buffy in the face, hard. No reaction.

"We didn't try that." Anya said. Xander pulled Liam away.

"Are you insane?" he asked. "We could be dealing with neurological damage here. You want to kill her?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but my aunt was just taken, my mother is in a catatonic state, and the world may just end. I'm willing to try anything." Liam said.

"Just like you trying to give up Dawn to save your own ass." Liam grabbed Xander by the collar and slammed him into the wall.

"I would never sell my family to anyone!" he yelled through gritted teeth. "I tried a non-violent approach so that we all win. Excuse me for trying to negotiate." Willow turned to them with a stern expression.

"Separate." She said. An unseen force pushed Liam and Xander apart. They both stared at Willow in surprise. She gave them a determined glare. "Buffy's out. Glory has Dawn. Sometime real soon, she's gonna use Dawn to tear down the barrier between every dimension there is. So if you two wanna fight, do it after the world ends, okay?" Liam glares at Xander. Xander went over to Anya and Giles, and leaned against the counter.

"Have you tried that Limbo thing?" Spike asked Liam. Everyone turned to him. "I mean, you could talk to Buffy and get her sane again in a sec."

"What's he talking about?" Xander asked. Liam sighed.

"I made a spell where I could enter into a limbo like state and stay there for and eternity, while only a second passes in reality. I can bring people in with me, but to do that…I have to kill them."

"Kill them?" Anya asked.

"Yeah. They would enter with me and I could talk to them for hours. Show them memories. But in that state, they can choose to return to reality or move on. And with mom being in this current state after everything, I don't want to give her the chance to give up so she can reunite with grandma and wait for Dawn." Willow nodded. "So that's out of the question."

"But we do need to get her back and take care of everything else." Willow said with authority. "First we head back to Sunnydale. Xander'll take Giles to a hospital. Anya's looking after Tara. Spike and Liam, will find Glory. Check her apartment, see if she's still there. Try anything stupid, like payback, and I will get Very Cranky. Everyone clear?" Anya cautiously raises her hand. "Anya."

"Um ... w-what will you do?" she asked

"I'll help Buffy."

"Okay then."

"Willow." Liam said walking over to her. Willow looked at him. "Bring her back. Please."

"I will. You just do your part." Liam saluted her.

"Uh ... Will?" Spike said. Willow looked at him. "Now, uh, don't turn me into a horned toad for asking, but ... what if we come across Ben?"

"Well that's easy." Liam said. "Kill him."

"What?" Willow asked looking confused. "We won't kill Ben. He isn't even apart of this." It was Spike and Liam's turn to look confused.

"Uh…you do know that Ben also happens to be Glory." Spike said. Everyone else looked confused.

"What do you mean?" Giles asked

"You know. Ben is Glory." Liam said.

"You mean ... Ben's with Glory? "Willow asked with a frown.

" 'With' in what sense?" Xander asked.

"They're working together?" Anya asked.

"No. No." Spike said. "Ben is Glory. Glory's Ben. They're one and the same." Everyone looked completely confused.

"When did all this happen?" Anya asked.

"Not one hour ago!" Liam said frustrated. "Right here, before your very eyes! Ben came, he turned into Glory, snatched Dawn, and pfft! Vanished, remember?" They all continued to stare at the two.

"Is everyone here very stoned?" Spike asked. They still looked confused. "Ben! Glory! He's a doctor, she's the beast. Two entirely separate entities sharing one body. Like a bloody sitcom. Surely you remember."

"So you're saying ... Ben and Glory..." Xander started.

"Have a connection." Anya finished

"Yes, obviously, but what kind?" Giles asked. Liam began to laugh sarcastically. Spike looked at him.

"Oh, I get it." Liam said. "She's good. Glory's done a spell where anyone who sees her change into ben or vice-versa, they instantly forget. And since you and I aren't really human, we stand immune."

"So ... Ben and Glory ... are-are the same person?" Willow asked.

"Glory can turn into Ben, and Ben turns back into Glory." Xander said.

"And anyone who sees it instantly forgets." Anya said.

"Kewpie doll for the lady." Spike said in relief. He put one finger on his nose and pointed the other hand at Anya.

"Halle-fucking-lujah" Liam said smiling.

"Excellent." Giles said. "Now. Do we suspect there may be some kind of connection between Ben and Glory? " Xander and Anya look enquiringly at Spike and Liam. They both sighed loudly.

…

Liam and Spike walked to Glory's apartment and they both kicked the door open. They entered and Spike turned on the light looking around. The apartment appeared empty.

"Looks like they cleared out." Spike said.

"Yeah." Liam said stepping more into the apartment. "but it doesn't mean they didn't leave anything behind. Search around." Spike walked in slowly behind Liam, putting a cigarette in his mouth, lighting it, and looking around. On the floor remained a circle of twigs and symbols. They continued walking around. Spike paused and looked off to the left. Spike walked toward an arched doorway underneath the stairs. He went slowly through it and found a door.

"Liam." He whispered. Liam heard and went over to Spike. Spike opened the door cautiously. They walked slowly through the door. Liam reached up to turn on the light which is just a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. It was dark room with just a bed, a sink, and a small table that held a lamp and some books. They saw blue clothing hanging against the wall which had Ben's hospital ID tag attached to one blue shirt. "Looks like this is where Ben stayed."

"Looks like it." Liam said sadly and turned and left. Spike followed.

"Hey don't be so glum." Spike said. "Your mum will be alight. You said it yourself, she and the kid are there in the future. She's tough. I mean, she did die once and came back." Liam stopped and looked to the ground. Spike stopped too and looked at him. "Hey, she'll be alright. So she dies the next time 'round. Doesn't mean you can't stop it right?"

"I'm not sure if I should stop her second death." Liam said.

"But isn't that why you came back? To stop your mum from dyin'?"

"Her third death, yes." He took a breath. "But I don't know about the second." Spike a little shocked.

"Second death? Buffy dies a second time and comes back?"

"Yeah. And I think that death is right upon us."

"What!?" Spike bellowed. "You knew that your mum would die and you didn't tell her?"

"I didn't know it was going to happen now. I was told that my mom died a second time when a portal opened up and her jumping into it stopped it. I wasn't told the details of the story. I don't think they wanted to go into detail because it was painful. Especially after she came back. I didn't think it would be now, but after what the general told us about Dawn, I knew" Spike looked shocked.

"So we fail at stopping the portal from opening, but Buffy sacrifices herself to close it and save the world."

"And Willow brings her back. She told me when I was studying magic. She told me the dangers of using powerful spells like that. Dark powerful spells." Spike looked at his nephew. "She also told me where my mom went."

"Where?"

"Where do think? Heaven. Willow and the gang tore her out of Heaven. That's what caused her to go into a depressive state. And then they just through her back into life without time to recuperate."

"Thus making her go to me for a stress relief."

"Exactly. But I changed it so that it's dad instead of you." They stood there for a second.

"You gonna tell her?"

"I don't want mom to have that plan in her head. I want her to believe that they all make it through alive. Dying is not going to be an option. And I'll make sure that Glory doesn't succeed with opening the portal. No portal, no mom dying." He paused. "I am not going watch my mother die in front of me again." He made a bee-line to the door past Spike.

"If it does come to that," Spike said. Liam stopped. "Will you tell her, or will you let her jump? Or both?"

"Come on." Liam said not answering. "Let's meet everyone at the hospital and discuss battle plans." He left the apartment and Spike followed.

…

Giles was sitting on a hospital bed, putting on his jacket. His left arm was stiff by his side and he could only get his jacket onto the right arm. He got up, putting his right hand to the place on his stomach where he was speared, and walked forward.

"Uh, can you, uh..." he asked Xander who was with him. Xander helped put the jacket on as they walk out into the hallway.

"There." He said. "How you doing?"

"It only hurts while I answer pointless questions. Where's Buffy?"

"Willow's on it. Or ... in it. She's workin' some spell, trying to reach Buffy psychically."

"Uh, she's gone into Buffy's mind?"

"Pretty tricky stuff."

"It's extraordinarily advanced. Um, I was thinking we should check on Glory's victims while ... we're here."

"Oh, the mental ward? I already been. The vegetable section's closed. Nobody there. It's like they all just got up and walked away." As they continued to walk, they saw Spike and Liam around the corner. Spike was looking at a medical cart while Liam was on his phone. Spike took a bag of blood from the cart and put it in his pocket as Xander and Giles approached. They stopped and Xander looked pointedly at Spike's purloined bloodbag but said nothing. Liam hung up his phone and approached them.

"Nothing still." He said.

"No word from the Angel team?" Xander asked.

"Must still be in that other dimension."

"Why would it take so long to find….Oh, wait, this is Cordy we're talking about, she might have been dubbed princess and no one wants her to go."

"Xander let's talk about things that we know could actually happen." Giles said.

"Checked out Glory's flat." Spike said. "Looks like the great one has scampered."

"Gone to, uh, perform her ritual with Dawn and leaving us entirely clueless."

"Not entirely. I know this bloke. Well, not so much a bloke so much as a demon. But still, bookish. All tuned in to the nastier corners of this our magic world." He looked around and took out a cigarette. "It's a bit of a last resort really, but still, we might persuade him to suss out Glory's game plan." Spike lit his cigarette. "Sound worthy?"

"Is this the same guy you and I…." Liam asked

"Yup." Spike said. Giles sighed and shrugged. "Off we go then. Meet back at the shop." He and Liam turned to go. Xander patted Giles on the arm and then fell into step with Spike and Liam.

"Found Ben's room at Glory's." Liam said to him. "Didn't learn much."

"Wait, wait, wait." Xander said. "Ben? At Glory's? You're saying all this time he's been subletting from her?" Liam and Spike rolled their eyes.

"This ... is gonna be worth it." Spike said. Spike slapped Xander upside the head. They both grab their heads in pain.

"Ow!" they both said. Liam looked amused. They both stumbled, use each other to regain their balance, and continued walking.

"Last time. From the top." Spike said. They all walked off together.

…

Liam, Spike, and Xander wlaked cautiously to the Doc's place from when Dawn wanted to resurrect Joyce.

"Hope this guy can help." Liam said.

"Me too." Spike said and knocked on the door.

"It's always open!" they heard the Doc inside. They entered. "What can I do for you boys? Want some cocoa?" They walked over to him. He was looking at the book.

"No. We need information. We need…"

"Ben's Glory!" Xander suddenly said. Liam and Spike looked at him.

"Who's what?" the Doc said looking up.

"Look at this." Spike said in surprise. "Special Ed remembers."

"Yeah. I do." Xander said. "Ben's Glory and Glory's Ben. It's like this...fog's lifting."

"Wonderful." Liam said. "But not why we're here." He turned back to Doc. "Hell-god type. Name of Glory..."

"A.K.A. Ben." Xander pointed out again.

"has gone missing." Spike finished. "She's brewing up some major-league bad, and she's nicked the Slayer's kid sister in the bargain.

"Hmm." The doc said looking up at them. "That girl you brought here. Sweet little thing. How'd things work out with her mom? Changed her mind, didn't she?"

"Yeah. You got any idea where Glory would take her?" The Doc closed his book.

"Glory ... Glory. Oh!" he got up, carrying the book. "You don't mean Glorificus." He walked closer to them. "Gosh. What do you wanna get mixed up with her for? That's a sure way to get yourselves killed. I hear she's awfully unpleasant." He turned away and went toward a side table. "When it comes to hellgods, my best advice ... is get out of the way ... and stay there."

"Love to. Can't." Laim said.

"Well, uh, other than that ...I'd like to help ... but I-I'm a small-town guy. This Glorificus, if it is her ... whoo, she's big city."

"She's got Dawn."

"Right. Well, I may know a fella ... you know, who knows a fella in... in China. He might…." Laim pulled his gun on the Doc. The Doc straightened up.

"NO China. No fella who knows a fella. You tell us what you know, or eat lead." Spike looked suspicious at the Doc, then looked downward .the Doc had his hands clasped in front of him. Behind him on the table was something that looked like a wooden box.

"It's all I have. You know, if you're in that much of a hurry. Wish you luck."

"You're lying." Spike said. Xander looked at Spike in surprise. Liam hadn't moved. The Doc removed his glasses. "And what's more ... I believe you're standing right in front of the very thing we need." The Doc smiled and suddenly leaped to his left. Suddenly he was behind Liam, who turned in surprise as Doc grabbed a sword that was leaning against the wall. He put the sword tip to Liam's throat.

"Idiot." Liam didn't flinch.

"No. You're the idiot." The Doc lunged forward but Liam smacked the sword blade aside and fell to the floor, knocking over a pile of books onto himself. The Doc opened his mouth and a super-long tongue comes out. It smacked Xander and Spike, both in the chest, they and slammed against opposite walls. The tongue coiled back into Doc's mouth. Doc walked over to where Liam was lying on the floor stunned.

"You think only underworld bottom-feeders worship the beast?" The Doc kicked Liam in the face, then turned, grabbing the box off the table and throwing it into the fire. He turned away from the fireplace, and walked back toward Liam. "Her day is coming, boys!" He grabbed Liam by the front of his shirt. "And when she returns, then you're gonna see something."

"Like I said." Liam said. "You're the idiot." He shot the Doc several times in the chest. He dropped Liam as he fell to the floor. Blue blood came out of his wounds. Spike hurried over to the fire and pulled the box out. Spike got up holding the box in both arms and walked over to Liam. Xander got up and walked over as well. Liam slid out his clip and checked it.

"What do we got?" Xander asked Spike. Spike looked down at the Doc.

"Something worth dying for." He said and looked at Liam. "Got enough for the last battle?"

"Only got ten rounds left." Liam said then slid out one bullet and put it in his pocket. "None only nine."

"Why di you take that bullet out?" Xander asked. Liam put the clip back in.

"The nine will be used for everything that stands between me and Dawn." Spike looked at him. "The tenth is for Ben."

"Can you do it? I mean, kill a human?"

"I've done it before. This is no different." Liam went around Xander and walked out. The others followed.

…

Back at Xander's apartment building, Anya was watching Tara while Willow prepared her spell.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Anya asked. Willow was taking candles out of a small leather bag and putting them on the table.

"I think so." Willow said. "I don't know. It's ... not exactly well-explored territory, but ... I gotta try."

"A spell like this could be really dangerous for Buffy. And you."

"Time ... oh, time is coming." Tara said. Willow went over to Tara, who was sitting cross-legged on a chair beside another table.

"Shh. It's okay. I'm here." Willow said. Tara whimpered softly. Anya came over. "You'll look after her while I'm..."

"Sure." Anya said. "What do I do?"

"Mostly ... just ... be here for her. And, and there's some pills in my knapsack. Half of one every two hours keeps her ... pretty mellow."

"Y-you think you'll be gone more than two hours?" Willow shrugged

"Wish me luck."

"Okay." Anya reached over to give Willow a punch on the arm. "Good luck!" she said with forced enthusiasm.

"Thanks." Willow turned to Tara. "Okay. Be good now, sweetie. I-I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? We're good?" Tara stared at Willow while she talked, but didn't reply. Willow kissed her on the forehead, smiling at her, then turned away. Tara whined softly and held out her hand toward Willow. Willow gathered up the stuff from the table and walked toward a closed door. Willow opens the door, went through it, and closed it behind her. It was dark inside the bedroom Willow entered. She put a candle on the small table beside the bed, and lit it. She went around the bed to the other side. Willow put two more candles on another small table and lit them. Buffy was sitting in a chair against the wall, still catatonic. Willow sat on the corner of the bed, facing Buffy. Willow stared. There was a flash and Willow was in a clean, brightly-lit room. She blinked in confusion and looked around. She saw a couple of rooms full of flowers, knick-knacks, and furniture. It was all done in bright cheerful colors and very tasteful. Willow walked slowly forward, looking around. She came into another room with a fireplace.

"Hi, Willow." She heard a voice. Willow saw a little girl, about six years old, with blonde hair in two pigtails. She was holding a doll and sitting at a child-sized round table with some toys on it. Willow smiled.

"Hello, Buffy."

"What are you doing here?" Younger Buffy said.

"Actually, I'm, uh... looking for you."

"Do you like dolls?"

"Buffy ... what are you doing here?"

"I like it here." Willow kneeled by younger Buffy.

"But ... You know we need you. You have to come out."

"Why?"

"To be with your friends. Your family."

"It's a big day for me." She looked over at the front door as it opened

"Hello!" came a woman's voice.

"Mommy, Daddy!" younger Buffy said smiling. She got up and ran toward the door, handing her doll to Willow. Willow stood up to watch. "You're back! You're back!" Joyce and Buffy's father, Hank, entered. Joyce carried a bundled-up baby.

"Hello, Buffy." Joyce said

"How's my girl?" Hank said leaning over with his hands on his knees. Younger Buffy smiled at him.

"Are you ready to meet your new baby sister?" Younger Buffy looked upset, frowned, and backed away folding her arms across her chest.

"Oh, come on now, Buffy. She's nothing to be afraid of."

"Who's afraid?" Younger Buffy asked.

"Don't you want to be the big sister?" Joyce asked

"No, I want to be the baby."

"Buffy." Hank said.

"You're gonna pay more attention to her and forget all about me!"

"Ohh..." Joyce said. She kneeled down beside Younger Buffy. The baby in her arms made baby noises. Younger Buffy turned to address Willow.

"Doesn't she look funny? Like a wrinkly old grandpa." Younger Buffy turned back to Joyce. Joyce gently put the baby in Younger Buffy's arms.

"Like this ... okay, support the head ... there you go! We're calling her Dawn."

"Dawn." Willow said softly.

"I ... I could be the one to look after her sometimes ... if you need a helper." Younger Buffy said smiling. Joyce smiled at the baby. "Mom? Can I take care of her?"

"Yes, Buffy, you can take care of her." As Willow watched this scene, she heard something and turned to look. Adult Buffy was there wearing a sleeveless blouse and pale skirt, with her hair loose, carrying a book. She was in the magic shop. She walked over to a bookshelf, put the book on it with other books, paused for a moment, turned and walked away. Willow watched in some confusion as Buffy walked past her. Willow glanced over toward where Younger Buffy was.

Willow was now standing by an open fire at night. She looked around in confusion.

"Ohh...kay." she said. She looked to her right. Buffy was sitting on a rock. Willow looked to her left and saw the First Slayer on the other side of the fire opposite Buffy. "Hey ... I know you. You're, you're the first original Slayer who tried killing us all in our dreams." The First Slayer gazed at Buffy. Willow shrugged. "How've you been?"

"Death is your gift." The first slayer said. Willow looked over at Buffy.

"Death is my gift?" Buffy asked.

"Wait, death is her what?" Willow asked.

"Death is your gift." The first slayer repeated. Willow turned her head to look at Buffy again. As she does so, she flashed to the previous scene. Buffy again walked past Willow, over to the bookcase, putting the book on the bookcase, and paused. Willow watched in confusion. Then she turned to her right and another Buffy was there. This Buffy wore jeans and a black tank top. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail, and is walking away from Willow down a hallway. At the end of the hall was a door that was slightly ajar with sunlight coming from behind it. Willow began to follow Buffy.

"Where are you going?" Willow asked. "I can't keep following you around like this, Buffy. We have to go." Buffy pushed through the door and continued walking. "You have to talk to..." Willow entered the room. "me." Willow walked slowly into the room. She looked down at the floor. She saw Joyce's graveyard plot complete with a mound of fresh dirt, sprinkled with fallen leaves, and a fringe of grass. The headstone read 'Joyce Summers 1958-2001.' Buffy stood staring at the grave with her arms folded. Willow walked up next to her, also looking at the grave. "I'm sorry." Buffy shook her head.

"Don't be." Buffy said. "Death is my gift."

"Yeah, I keep hearing that, but..." Buffy began to walk off. Willow followed. "I'm not exactly sure what it means."

"It's really not that complicated." They went through a door into Dawn's bedroom. Dawn was lying on the bed.

"Not for you maybe." Buffy sat on the bed beside Dawn, looking at her, then up at Willow.

"It's what I do." Dawn was breathing slowly and seemed to be crying. "I mean, come on, you've known me ... for how long? It's what I'm here for. It's all I am." Buffy turned to look at Dawn again. Then she picked up a pillow from beside Dawn and put it over Dawn's face. Dawn began to struggle, with muffled noises of protest.

"Buffy, stop! No!" Willow said. Buffy looked very calm as she held the pillow in place. Dawn's arms and legs waved in the air ineffectively. "God, no!"

"What?" Buffy said turning to her keeping the pillow in place. Dawn's struggling slowed. "I keep telling you, Will. I-I figured it out. Death is my gift." Dawn stopped struggling. Her arms and legs fell limply onto the bed. Willow stared in horror. Buffy got up and Willow looked at Dawn for a second then followed Buffy into her room where she saw a cradle and Liam standing over it. Buffy moved to the cradle and looked into it. "Death follows my family." Buffy picked up the baby in the cradle. She had a pink blanket around her that had the name _'Kathy'_ sown into it. She placed Kathy in Liam's arms who went to the window and threw the baby out. Willow gasped. Buffy didn't even flinch. Liam turned back to the girls, stared at them, then pulled his gun and shot himself in the head. Willow screamed. Buffy just stood. "Death follows me and my family. It just does."

"Okay ... now this is weird." Willow was now back in the old Summers home. Willow stood looking down at Younger Buffy, who was again sitting at her table holding her doll.

"Hi, Willow. What are you doing here?" Younger Buffy asked.

"Actually, I'm, uh ... looking for you. Here. Again."

"Do you like dolls?" Willow kneeled down.

No ...and I think we already deja'd this vu."

"You talk funny." Younger Buffy giggled.

"Yes ... as you'll tell me again when we're older and in chem class. Buffy ... what are we doing here?"

"Don't you like it here?"

"We don't have time." The front door opened. Younger Buffy smiled, got up, and gave her doll to Willow.

"Mommy, Daddy!"

"We're home!" hank said. Willow stood to watch.

"You're back, you're back!" Joyce and Hank entered with baby Dawn again.

"Hi, Buffy." Joyce said smiling. Joyce kneeled while Younger Buffy held the baby. "We're calling her Dawn." Willow turned her head and again saw Adult Buffy putting the book on the bookshelf. Willow turned back toward the front door. Younger Buffy was holding the baby, with Joyce kneeling and Hank standing with his hands on his knees.

"I could be the one to look after her sometimes." Younger Buffy said. Willow watched with a small smile. She was now in the dream hallway again. Buffy was walking down the hallway with Willow following.

"Buffy, will you just stop a second and listen to me?" Willow said. "Buffy!" Willow hurried around in front of Buffy, stopping her with a hand on her arm. "You have to stop doing this."

"Doing what?" Buffy asked.

"Killing Dawn. And then that baby Kathy. And letting Liam shoot himself."

"Why?"

"Because this never happened. You never killed your sister."

"But I did let my daughter die." Willow looked shocked. "And if I can't protect Dawn and Kathy, how am I to protect Liam at all? Will, I did this."

"In your imagination! None of this is real! Y-you're stuck in some kind of loop!"

"I don't know what you're talking about. 'Scuse me." She resumed walking. Willow followed.

"Buffy, why are you doing this?" Buffy pushed through the door.

"No. Buffy! Leave Dawn alone, what is this?"

"My gift. This is what I do."

"I'm not talking about this, I'm talking about..." Willow followed Buffy through the door, but instead of Dawn's bedroom, they come out into the magic shop. The first adult Buffy walked over to the bookshelves again. The second Buffy watched. Buffy #1 put the book on the shelf. "this." Willow finished. Buffy #1 looked pensive. "Right here, it happened. I know it's something small, but... t's something. What?"

"Don't go there, Will." Buffy #2 said.

"I'm not! You're the one who keeps dragging me back here! A-and you wouldn't be doing that if you weren't trying to show me something." Buffy #2 looked at her.

"Do I?" she asked.

"Buffy, come on. I-it's your brain. Just tell me." They both looked back over at the bookshelf. Buffy #1 was putting the book on the shelf yet again. "What happened here?"

"This was when I quit, Will." Buffy #1 said not turning. Willow stood beside Buffy #2, both staring at Buffy #1.

"You did?"

"Just for a second." Buffy #2 said. "I remember."

"I was in the magic shop." Buffy #1 said.

"I put a book back for Giles."

"Nothing special about it. And then it hit me."

"What hit you?" Willow said.

"I can't beat Glory." Buffy #2 said.

"Glory's going to win." Buffy #1 said.

"You can't know that." Willow said looking at both Buffy's. "Liam said that you and Dawn were in the future. You both got through this."

"But he doesn't know how." Both Buffys said.

"He doesn't know how we beat her or if we did at all." Buffy #1 said.

"But I know this." Buffy #2 said. "I didn't just know that Glory would win."

"I felt it. Glory will beat me."

"And in that second of knowing it, Will..."

"I wanted it to happen."

"Why?" Willow asked.

"I wanted it over. "Buffy #1 said. "This is ... all of this ... it's too much for me."

"I just wanted it over." Buffy #2 said.

"If Glory wins ... then Dawn dies."

"And I would grieve. People would feel sorry for me. But it would be over. Not just now but for the future. My children wouldn't see the hardships of this world. They wouldn't have to fight and die in it. And I imagined what a relief it would be." Willow looked over at the bookcase. Buffy #1 yet again put the book on the shelf. "I killed Dawn." Willow frowned, looking at Buffy #2.

"Is that what you think?"

"My thinking it made it happen."

"Some part of me wanted it." Buffy #1 said. "And in the moment Glory took Dawn..."

"I know I could have done something better." Buffy #2 said. "But I didn't. I was off by some fraction of a second."

"And this is why..."

"I killed my sister." Willow frowned, looking from one Buffy to the other. Buffy #1 put the book on the shelf again.

"I think Liam was right back at the gas station. Snap out of it!" Willow snapped the last part loudly. Buffy #2 looked at Willow in surprise. Buffy #1 whirled away from the bookcase.

"What?" Both Buffys asked.

"All this ... it has a name. It's called guilt. It's a feeling, and it's important. But it's not more than that, Buffy. Buffys." The Buffys both look pensive. "You've carried the weight of the world on your shoulders since high school. And I, I know you didn't ask for this, but ... you do it every day. And so, you wanted out for one second. So what?"

"I got Dawn killed." Buffy #2 said.

"Hello! Your sister, not dead yet! But she will be if you stay locked inside here and never come back to us." Buffy #2 looked at Buffy #1.

"But what if I can't?"

"Then I guess you're right. And you did kill your sister. But I don't think so. Liam said you both were there in the future. So you did something that saved Dawn. Now snap out of it, figure out what you did and do it." Willow turned and started walking toward the magic shop entrance. Buffy #2 turned to her in alarm.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Willow turned back.

"Where you're needed. Are you coming?"

The real Buffy in the chair in the bedroom suddenly, with a start, comes to and sat up straighter, looking around, breathing heavily. Willow stared at Buffy. Buffy turned to face Willow again. Suddenly she burst into tears. Willow got up off the bed and kneeled beside Buffy's chair, putting her arms around Buffy and held her as she cried.

…

At the real magic shop, Giles was standing in the back making tea. Spike, Liam, and Xander were sitting at the table beside Giles. He heard the sound of the door opening. Giles looked through the bookcase toward the door.

"Buffy?" he asked. "She's back." Liam got up instantly. Buffy entered with Willow leading Tara in, and Anya closing the door behind them.

"You're okay?" Liam said getting up and hugging his mom. Buffy hugged back.

"Yeah. I'm okay." She said. He pulled away.

"Don't scare me like that ok."

"Ok." Buffy said smiling. "Hear you found the ritual text."

"Uh, something like that, yes." Giles said.

"Did you know that ... Ben is Glory?" Xander asked.

"So I'm told." Buffy said. "What do we know?"

"Um ... well, uh...according to these scrolls, uh, it's possible for Glory to be stopped." Giles paused. Buffy gave him a raised-eyebrow look to say, 'go on.' "I-I'm afraid it's, um ... well, Buffy, I've read these things very carefully and there's not much ... margin for error. You understand what I'm saying?"

"Might help if you actually said it." Giles gave a small smile, put his mug on the table and sat, removing his glasses.

"Um ... Glory ... plans to open a ... dimensional portal ... by way of a ritual bloodletting."

"Dawn's blood."

"Yes. Once the blood is shed at a certain time and place ... the fabric which separates all realities will ... be ripped apart." Liam looked down at the ground. "Dimensions will ... pour into one another, uh, with no barriers to stop them. Reality as we know it will be destroyed, and ... chaos will reign on earth."

"So how do we stop it?"

"The portal will only close once the blood is stopped ... and the only way for that to happen is, um ..."

"Get ready." Liam said with a little bit of anger. "This is the part I don't like." Buffy looked at him and then back at Giles

"Buffy, the only way is to kill Dawn." Buffy reacted with dismay.

**Ok you guys. Next chapter is 'The Gift'. Be prepared, I've got twists. Comment and review. **


	28. The Gift

Chapter 28: The Gift

**Here it is. 'The Gift.' The point I like to call, the point that define where in this story arc will go. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I say read it. You're in for a surprise. Enjoy.**

A teenage boy was running around a corner in an alley. He was running from something. He rounds another corner and stopped, seeing that it's a dead end. He slowly turned around fearfully. The kid moved very slowly back toward the corner, very scared. Suddenly someone stepped around the corner. A large male vampire. The vampire striding forward with a small smile. The kid started taking steps back.

"Gave me a pretty good run there." The vamp said. "Bet the blood's just pumpin'." The boy backed away, frightened. "Bet it's hot."

"Don't hurt me." The kid said his voice breaking.

"Don't hurt you?" the vamp laughed. Suddenly one of the doors along the alley opened and Buffy's head popped out.

"Hey, what's going on?" she asked innocently. The vamp turned his head to glare at her.

"Help me! Call the police!" the kid cried.

"Get outta here, girl." The vamp said turns back to the kid.

"You guys havin' a fight? 'Cause, you know, fighting's not cool." Buffy said emerging from the doorway. The vampire turned to glare at her again.

"Get out of here!" the kid said.

"No." the vamp turned fully towards Buffy. "No, she wants to stay. I don't mind a little appetizer."

"Have you ever heard the expression, 'biting off more than you can chew'?" Buffy asked coming forward. The vamp frowned, shaking his head. "Okay. Um ... how about the expression, 'vampire slayer'?

"What the hell you talkin' about?"

"Wow. Never heard that one. Okay. How about, 'Oh god, my leg, my leg'?" The vampire growled and lunged at her. She ducked his grab, punched him in the face and kicked him in the leg. His knee buckled and he fell to the ground.

"Oh god! My leg! Uhh..."

"See? Now we're communicating." The vamp surged up, grabbed Buffy and threw her against the wall. He grabbed her again but she pushed his arms away, punching him in the face, kneeing him, and then went around behind him and kicked him into the wall. He landed against a dumpster, turning and backhanding Buffy, who stumbled forward toward the boy. The boy leaped out of the way. The vamp punched Buffy again. He picked her up and slammed her down on top of another dumpster. Buffy kicked the vamp, cart wheeled off the dumpster and kicked him again, then again, and then again. On the final kick, he landed on his back among a pile of wooden boxes. They all shattered. One of the shards of wood flew toward Buffy and she caught it. As the vampire lunged up out of the boxes, she staked him with the piece of wood. The boy watched in shock. The vamp turned to dust. Buffy dropped the makeshift stake and stared at the pile of dust as the boy continued to cower in the background. "Wow. Been a long while since I met one who didn't know me." She turned to go, paused and looked at the kid. "You should get home." She began walking back toward the door she came out of.

"H-how'd you do that?" the kid asked nervously.

"It's what I do." Buffy replied without turning.

"But you're ... you're just a girl." Buffy paused in the doorway.

"That's what 'I' keep saying." She walked through the door. Buffy came in the back door of the magic shop, walking down the hall and into the main room. Xander was sitting at the round table with Giles and Liam beside him looking at books. Liam was on his phone. Willow sitting at the table on Xander's other side. Anya was standing off to the side. Spike was sitting behind them on the ladder leading up to the loft, smoking a cigarette.

"Something goin' on out back? "Xander asked.

"Vampire." Buffy replied walking to the table and sighed. "Anything?"

"Nothing." Liam said hanging up. "Dad still isn't answering."

"Man, whenever you don't want Angel, he's there." Xander said. "When you do want him, he's know where to be found." Liam glared at him.

"Give me an excuse to blow your head off. Come on."

"Hey." Buffy said to her son. "No death threats." Liam sighed. Buffy turned back to Giles. "Anything on the ritual?"

"Nothing you want to hear." Giles said. "The ritual is, uh..."

"Explain it again."

"There's nothing new to…"

"Go through it again." Everyone looked nervously at Buffy. Giles slowly removed his glasses.

"The key was ... living energy. It needed to be channeled, poured into a specific place at a specific time. The energy ... would flow into that spot, the walls between the dimensions break down. It stops, the energy's used up, the walls come back up. Glory uses that time to get back into her own dimension, not caring that all manner of hell will be unleashed on earth in the meantime." Buffy looked grim.

"Um, but only for a little while, right?" Anya asked. "The walls come back up, uh, n-no more hell?"

"That's only if the energy is stopped." Willow said. "And now the key is human ..." she looked over her shoulder at Buffy. "...is Dawn.

" 'The blood flows, the gates will open. The gates will close when it flows no more.' " Giles read from a book. He removed his glasses. "When Dawn is dead." He paused. Liam rubbed his hand over his face.

"I have places to be!" Tara suddenly blurted out. Everyone looked over at Tara, who was curled up in a chair to the side. She fell silent again and they returned to their conversation.

"Why blood?" Xander asked. "Why Dawn's blood? I mean, why couldn't it be like a, a lymph ritual?"

"'Cause it's always got to be blood." Spike said.

"We're not actually discussing dinner right now." Xander said. Liam sighed and slapped Xander upside of the head. "OW! Would you stop."

"Blood is life, lackbrain." Liam said. "Why do you think he eats it?"

"It's what keeps you going." Spike went on. "Makes you warm. Makes you hard. Makes you other than dead. Course it's her blood."

"Pretty simple math here." Buffy said. "We stop Glory before she can start the ritual. We still have a couple of hours, right?"

"Not much of a plan." Liam muttered.

"If my calculations are right." Giles answered Buffy. "But Buffy…"

"I don't wanna hear it." Buffy said turning away.

"I understand that…" Buffy whirled back around.

"No! No, you don't understand. We are not talking about this."

"Yes, we bloody well are!" Giles yelled jumping up from his chair. Liam glared at him. Everyone else looked shocked by Giles' outburst. "If Glory begins the ritual ... if we can't stop her..." Giles said more quietly.

"Come on. Say it. We're bloody well talking about this. Tell me to kill my sister."

"She's not your sister." Giles whispered. Liam had it. He got up, took out his axe, and slammed it on the table, making everyone jump. Buffy and Giles stared at Liam who stared at Giles.

"Yes she is." Liam said. "She is her sister and my aunt. She's there in the future, which means we succeed somehow. Don't ask me how because I don't know. What I do know is this. Dawn may have to die to save the world. But I am not going to let that happen. I am not going to let my mother share the guilt I live with every day. The guilt of killing one's own sister." Everyone but Buffy stared at him in shock.

"You killed your own sister?" Willow asked.

"I had no choice. She told me to do it to sell a deception. It didn't work. Had I not done it, I wouldn't be here. I came back to change that. But before I can do that, we have to save Dawn. And there is no killing her."

"But if we don't succeed in stopping it," Giles began. "If don't stop the ritual form starting…"

"We'll find another way."

"There is no other way."

"There is. There always is. We just have to find it." Liam took his axe out of the table and put it back in his belt. He sat down as Spike eyed him, knowing what he was talking about. "And she is mom's sister."

"No." Buffy said. "She's not." Everyone turned to her. "She's more than that. She's me. The monks made her out of me. I hold her ... and I feel closer to her than ... It's not just the memories they built. It's physical. Dawn ... is a part of me. The only part that I…"

"We'll solve this." Willow said. "We will. Don't have another coma, okay?"

"Wouldn't want that." Liam said. Buffy gave a small smile.

"If the ritual starts, then every living creature in this and every other dimension imaginable will suffer unbearable torment and death." Giles said looking at Buffy. "Including Dawn."

"Then the last thing she'll see is her family protecting her." Buffy said.

"You'll fail. You'll die. We all will." Giles said quietly turnings away from the table.

"I'm sorry. I love you all ... but I'm sorry." She turned away too. Giles turned back to look at her.

"Okay." Anya said loudly and raised her hand. "All in favor of stopping Glory 'before' the ritual." Liam raised his hand. "Suggestions, ideas?" Anya snapped her fingers. "Time's a-wastin'." She turned to Willow. "Willow. I bet you've got some dark spell a-brewin'. Uh, make her a, a, a toad? Little hoppy toad, we can hit her with a hammer?"

"Hoppy toad." Tara giggled.

"What about Ben?" Xander said. "He can be killed, right? I mean, I know he's an innocent, but, you know, not like Dawn innocent. We could kill a ... regular guy." There was a pause while everyone considered this and Xander realized what he's said. "God." He said softly in disgust.

"It's doubtful he'll surface again this close to the ritual." Giles said. "We can expect it's Glory we're dealing with."

"But if he does…" Liam said getting up and reaching into his pocket. "And no one else has the balls to do so…" he place the bullet he took out of his last clip on the table. "I'll do it."

"We don't have to kill her." Willow said. "Uh, we just have to stop her from doing the ritual. I mean, there's only the one time that she can do it, right?"

"Yeah." Spike said. "We get her on the ropes, we just gotta keep her occupied till it's too late."

"No offense guys…" Liam said. "But that's a bullshit plan." Everyone looked to him.

"Ok mister I-know-everything-cause-I'm-from-the-future." Xander said. "You come up with a plan." Liam laughed.

"I can't. Cause it's not my team. Nor is it my timeline. All I can do is give you guys some starting points to make a plan."

"And that would be?" Spike asked.

"You guys are trying to stay one step ahead of Glory. But that's not a plan. Staying two or three steps ahead, beating a move before it's already made, that's a plan. You guys need to know Glory's next move, and the move after that, to ensure that she fails and it stays that way."

"Okay." Anya said. "But I'm still not hearing enough ideas. She's a god. Let's think outside the box."

"Why don't 'you;' go think outside the bleeding box." Spike said.

"Yes, Anya, apart from your incredibly uninfectious enthusiasm, have you anything else to contribute?" Giles said.

"The Dagon sphere!" Anya said.

"Sorry?"

"When Buffy first met Glory, she found that magical ...glowy sphere that was meant to repel Glory. We've got it in the basement. It might drive her away or hurt her. Ooh!" Everyone looked surprised. Anya hurried over to a display case, gesturing like a game-show hostess. "And Olaf the troll god's enchanted hammer." They saw the hammer on a shelf. "You wanna fight a god, use the weapon of a god."

"Now that's more like a plan." Liam said. Buffy walked over to check out the hammer.

"Uh, nah, that thing's too heavy to…" Spike said but Buffy picked it up easily. "Yeah. Good."

"I like this." Buffy said to Anya. "Thanks."

"Here to help." Anya said. "Wanna live."

"Smart chicks are soooo hot." Xander said looking fondly at Anya.

"You couldn't have figured that out in tenth grade?" Willow said. They both exchanged a smile.

"Well, we have some ideas, if we could actually get Glory on the run, but, um..." Giles said.

"But, we still have no idea how to find her." Buffy finished.

"Big day." Tara suddenly blurted out. "Oh, it calls me! I have to be there!" Everyone looked at Tara, then at Buffy. Buffy looked thoughtful. "Big day!"

…

Buffy was in the workout room, punching the punching-bag while Liam held it. She alternated hands and hit it with a steady rhythm. Giles entered walking toward them.

"You sure you're not going to tire yourself out?" Giles asked. Buffy stopped punching.

"I'm sure." Buffy said and resumed punching.

"We're ... still working on ideas." Buffy stopped punching again. "Time's short, but, uh, best leave it to the last moment." Buffy stretched her arms. "If we go in too early and she takes us out, no chance of getting her to miss her window."

"Then we wait." Buffy gave one last good punch that broke the punching bag off its chain and sent it and Liam falling to the floor. Buffy went over to him. "Ohh. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." Liam said getting up and dusting himself off. "Nothing that I haven't experienced before." Buffy smiled at him.

"I imagine you both hate me right now." Giles said. Buffy sighed but didn't answer him. Liam didn't look at Giles. Giles took a few steps closer. "I love Dawn."

"I know." Buffy said.

"But I've sworn to protect this sorry world, and sometimes that means saying and doing ... what other people can't. What they shouldn't have to." Buffy turned to face him.

"You try and hurt her, and you know I'll stop you."

"We'll stop you." Liam said looking at his grandfather.

"I know." Giles said. Buffy walked slowly over to the sofa in the corner and sat. Liam followed and leaned on the wall next to her. Giles paced slowly over to the sofa as well.

"This is how many apocalypses for us now?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, uh, well..." He sat and took off his glasses. "Six, at least. Feels like a hundred." Liam snickered. "What?"

"I've faced like ten." He said. Then he frowned. "Feels like a thousand or so."

"I've always stopped them." Buffy said. "Always won."

"Yes." Giles agreed.

"I sacrificed Angel to save the world. I loved him so much. I still do. But I knew ... what was right. I don't have that any more. I don't understand. I don't know how to live in this world if these are the choices. If everything just gets stripped away. I don't see the point. I just wish that...I just wish my mom was here."

"How do you think I feel?" Liam asked sitting on Buffy's other side. "I killed my own sister to try and save the world. Not so much the same thing but pretty damn close." Buffy didn't look at him. "We make these choices in life because in the end….People who will come after us, probably won't make the same hard choices because of we making those choices, cancelled out those choices for everyone else. We do things, all in the name of trying to make this sorry world better." Buffy turned to him and smiled.

"You are like your father." Liam smiled. Buffy got up and walked a few paces away. Then turned to face Giles. "The spirit guide told me ... that death is my gift. Guess that means a Slayer really is just a killer after all."

"I think you're wrong about that." Giles said.

"It doesn't matter. If Dawn dies, I'm done with it. I'm quitting." She turned and walked out, leaving Giles sitting on the sofa with Liam.

"I'm not going to allow it." Liam said.

"Me killing Dawn?" Giles asked.

"No. Anymore of my family dying in front of me." Liam got up and went to leave. "Not again."

…

In the main magic shop room, Willow sat at the table reading books while Tara napped behind her. Buffy walked up.

"Will, what do you got for me?" Buffy asked

"Some ideas." Willow said. Buffy went to sit on the stairs leading up to the loft. "Well, notions. Or, theories based on wild speculation. Did I mention I'm not good under pressure?"

"I need you, Will. You're my big gun." Willow looked alarmed.

"I'm your - no, I-I was never a gun. Someone else should be the gun. I, I could be a, a cudgel. Or, or a pointy stick."

"You're the strongest person here. You know that, right?"

"Well ... no." Willow said frowning.

"Will, you're the only person that's ever hurt Glory. Liam did but it drained to the point of exhaustion after a few minutes. You're my best shot at getting her on the ropes, so don't get a jelly belly on me now."

"What about me?" Liam said coming over.

"I was just telling willow how she is the most powerful person that can hurt Glory without fainting." Buffy said looking at him.

"Oh. Yeah. Totally. You can so beat her Will."

"Well ... I, I ... do sort of have this one idea." Willow said. "But, last few days, I've mostly been looking into ways to help Tara. I-I know that shouldn't be my priority..." Buffy leaned over and put her hand on Willow's knee.

"Of course it should." Buffy said. Willow smiled gratefully and Buffy leaned back.

"Well, I've been charting their essences. Mapping out. I think ... if I can get close enough, I may be able to reverse what Glory did. Like, take back what she took from Tara. It might weaken Glory, or ... make her less coherent. Or it might make all our heads explode."

"I say it's worth a shot." Liam said. "Glory needed our brains to survive pretty much. Take one away, it should slow her down enough for mom to take full advantage of the situation."

"That's the plan."

"I'm liking this plan that keeps forming."

"Buffy." Giles called her. Buffy looked up. Giles, Xander, and Anya were gathered around something.

"I'll try to work it." Willow said. Buffy and Liam got up and walked over to the gang. Giles was holding the Dagon sphere.

"What'd ya got?" Buffy asked.

"The Dagon's sphere." Giles said. "It's supposed to repel Glory. We don't know if it'll help…"

"No. No, no, that's good. That could be pivotal. Thank you guys."

"Well, um, you're gonna need some…"

"Way ahead of you. We have time?"

"Yes, if you hurry."

"Okay. I'll grab some weapons too."

"I'm looking for something in a broadsword." Xander said.

"Don't be swingin' that thing near me." Spike said. Buffy took the sphere from Giles and examined it.

"Hey, I happen to be…"

"A glorified bricklayer?"

"I'm also a swell bowler."

"Has his own shoes." Anya said.

"The gods themselves do tremble." Spike commented.

"Spike, come with me." Buffy said and handed the sphere to Giles and strides out. Spike followed her.

…

Buffy entered her house with Spike behind her.

"The weapons are in the chest by the TV, I'll grab the stuff upstairs." Buffy said.

"Got it." Spike said going into the living room. "Um, won't bother with the small stuff. Couple of good axes should hold off Glory's mates while you take on the lady herself." He opened the chest and began taking stuff out. Buffy walked into the living room.

"We're not all gonna make it. You know that." Spike stopped taking stuff out and sighed.

"Look, Buffy…" he scratched his head and walked towards her. "There's something I gotta tell you." Buffy looked curiously at him. "Something told me. It's pretty big news."

"Yeah. I think I know what you're talking about." Spike looked surprised.

"You do?"

"Yeah. Liam told me." Buffy placed a hand on Spike's arm. "And I think it's great. Part of me actually can't wait for it to happen." Spike was even more surprised.

"You do know what will happen right?"

"Not exactly. He gave me the cliff notes version." Spike nodded his head. "Spike, I'm counting on you ... to protect her."

"Till the end of the world. Even if that happens to be tonight."

"I'll be a minute." Buffy turned to go up the stairs. Spike watched her go.

"Buffy." Buffy turned to him. "I know that things would have never worked out between us. I know that you would never have loved me the way you love Angel." Buffy looked down then back up. "But Liam tells me that you love in the future anyway. I sorta get the feeling you do now. I know that I'm a monster. But you treat me like a man. Liam loves me like family." He paused. "And I guess that's all really I can ask for. So thank you." Buffy gazed silently at him. Then she came down the steps and hugged Spike. He hugged back.

"You are a monster now. But I know that'll change. And I know matter what will happen, you'll still be family to us." She pulled back and kissed Spike on the cheek. They pulled apart and looked at each other. Spike smiled. As did Buffy.

"Get your stuff, I'll be here." Buffy turned and went back up stairs.

…

Back at the magic shop, Xander and Anya were looking at each other, Tara was looking at stuff in a display case, Willow appears from the back, and Liam was at the table sharpening his axe and knife. Buffy and Spike entered carrying weapons. They walked over to the office area.

"We on schedule?" Buffy asked. Spike went to put the weapons down on the desk beside Giles, who is was also holding an axe.

"Yes, it's time." He answered. Liam stopped sharpening and put his weapons in his belt. He walked over to his mother.

"Mom." She turned to him. "I know that you somehow get through all this, but just in case anything does happen…" he hugged his mother tight. She hugged back. "I love you. So much."

"I love you too my son. I am so proud of you." They pulled away and Liam placed a kiss on his mother's forehead. She placed a kiss on his cheek. They stared at each other smiling. They nodded and pulled away more looking serious.

"Let's do this." Buffy nodded and turned to Willow.

"Will?" Willow nodded and went over to Tara who was still staring at the merchandise.

"Tara, baby?" she said. "Is there somewhere you should be?" Tara looked over at Buffy but didn't look at Willow.

"They held me down." Tara said.

"No one's holding you. It's the big day, right?" Both Willow and Tara looked at Buffy. Buffy looked concerned. "Do you wanna go?" Tara looked anxiously from Buffy to Willow and back again. She turned and began to walk toward Buffy and the door.

"You're a killer." Tara said pointing to Giles. Giles and Spike looked at her in surprise. "This is all set down." Tara continued to walk out. Giles put his axe in Spike's bag. They all followed Tara out the door.

"Stay close but don't crowd her." Buffy said quietly. "We'll follow in a minute." Willow started out again but stopped when Buffy began to address the others. "Everybody knows their jobs. Remember, the ritual starts, we all die. And I'll kill anyone who comes near Dawn." Buffy turned and walked out with Liam right behind her. Willow turned to the open door and left. Giles clutched his side where he was speared. Spike glanced at Giles, then back in the direction that Buffy went.

"Well, not exactly the St. Crispin's Day speech, was it?" Spike said.

"We few... "Giles said going past Spike and gathering up the bag of weapons. "...we happy few."

"We band of buggered." They exited.

…

Tara was walking along the sidewalk, picking at the cast on her hand. Willow was walking a few paces behind her and the others were following further behind that. Tara came around a corner, pauses to gaze upward for a moment, then continued walking. They all stopped walking and looked up. They saw a tower rising up into the air above them. They all stared at it.

"Shpadoinkle." Xander said.

"What is that?" Anya asked.

"The portal must open up there." Giles said.

"Will, you're up." Buffy said.

"Need anything?"

"Could use a little courage." Willow said. Spike handed her a small flask. "The real kind." Spike looked over at her. She looked at him. "But thanks." Spike nodded and put the flask away.

…

At the tower, people were walking toward it as sparks, from welding, come from the yard below. The crazy people were still doing various things with machinery and metal. At the entrance, Tara entered finally pulling the cast off her hand and tossing it aside. She walked in muttering to herself and went over to a pile of bricks and picked one up. A hand grabbed Tara's shoulder from behind and spun her around.

"You." Glory said. "What are you doing here?" Willow appeared beside Glory.

"She's with me." Willow said and grabbed both Glory's and Tara's heads. They all screamed as blue lightning began to flicker around them. Bright blue light appeared to stream from Glory's head to Tara's. Suddenly a blast of power separated them. All three went flying in different directions. Willow crashed into a pile of wood. Glory landed on her back on the concrete. She sat up as several minions ran over.

"What the frickin' hell did that bitch do to me?" The minions looked at each other, then at Glory.

"You look fine." One minion said anxiously. "Truly."

"She made a little ... she made a hole." Glory said clutching her head. "Uh, I need a brain to eat."

"Oh, take mine, oh groove-tastic one!"

"I said a brain, you worthless dirt!" She put a hand to her forehead and began to walk, distractedly, as the minions follow her with concern. "Big day. I got places to be, big day. Need a brain." She looked at something directly in front of her and scoffed. "Suppose I could always use yours."

"Okay then." Buffy said. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back. "Come and get it." Glory started to smile, then looked away and moved her arms as if in pain. "You don't seem very well."

"Your little witch bitch ... gave me kind of a headache there." Glory removed her ceremonial robe, revealing the simple black dress underneath. "But if you think this is gonna last more than eight seconds…"

"I noticed you're talking, whereas in your position, I would attack me." The minions had taken Glory's robe as she continued to stand there looking weakened.

"Oh, most sweaty-naughty-feelings-causing one, should we..." one minion said.

"Go guard the girl." Glory said. "This is a ... this is a, a..."

"Diversionary tactic?"

"Go guard!" The minions scurried away. They pulled a bunch of crazies away from their work and gathered them around the base of the stairs leading up to the tower. Glory was still standing there unsteadily.

"It's strange, you're not as blurry with speed as usual either." Buffy said

"The witch..."

"It's not her." Buffy produced the Dagon sphere from behind her. "Might be this." Glory looked alarmed. "I heard it's supposed to repel you. So my guess is ... you probably shouldn't touch it, either." Buffy tossed the sphere at Glory, who caught it instinctively. The sphere lit up and seemed to warp the air around it when it touched Glory's hand. She made a pained face, dropping her hand to her side. She slowly crushed the sphere and the light went out as it crumbled.

"You're gonna wish you…" Buffy punched her in the face. Glory stumbled back and Buffy kicked her, then punched her again, and again, and again. The minions and crazies gathered around the stairs muttering and looked around nervously as the fight continued.

"Stand fast!" One minion said. "Kill anyone who dares approach! This will be our day of glory!"

"Well punned." Another minion said.

"Well, it just called out to me." Suddenly an arrow appeared in his chest and he fell back. Spike was holding his crossbow, having just shot the minion. Anya, Liam, and Giles were beside him. They rushed forward and began fighting the minions, while Spike staid behind. Giles blocked a minion's staff while Anya beat on another one with her bat. Liam chopped one minion with his axe and stabbed another one with his knife. He continued walking taking out another minion. Spike gave a loud battle cry and jumped on two minions at once, bearing them to the ground. Giles sliced at a minion with his sword. A minion had Spike around the waist as another one approached him. Spike fought them both.

Buffy was hitting and kicking Glory back. Dawn looked down from atop the tower where she was bound and her eyes widened as she spotted Buffy. Buffy flipped Glory over and slammed her down on a pile of bricks, trying to punch her but Glory rolled aside and Buffy ended up punching the bricks. Buffy tried to punch again and Glory grabbed her arms, throwing her across the room.

Willow sat up among broken pieces of wood, looking at Buffy fighting Glory, and then looked over to her left.

"Tara!" Willow said. Willow half-walked, half-crawled over to where Tara lay unconscious in a pile of debris. "Tara?" Tara's eyes opened. She looked at Willow. "Tara?"

"W ... Willow?" Tara stammered.

"Tara?" Willow smiled hopefully.

"Willow ... I got so lost." Tara said tearfully.

"I found you." Willow said smiling. Willow kissed Tara all over her face, then hugged her. They both smiled happily. "I will always find you."

"You know what?" Glory said standing up straight. Buffy punched, but Glory grabbed her fist. "I'm feeling a little better. And now? I'm a little bored."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Buffy said. "Cause you're about…" Glory kicked her in the face. 'Buffy's' head went flying off, leaving her body standing. Wires were exposed in the neck. The body fell over as Glory stared in bewilderment. When it hit the floor, sparks flew out of the neck.

"Hey, wow, the Slayer's a robot." Glory said surprised and looked around. "Did everybody else know the Slayer was a robot?" Glory smiled in triumph as the real Buffy appeared behind her.

"Glory?" the real Buffy said. Glory stopped smiling and turned. Buffy hit her with Olaf's hammer. Glory flew across the room, crashing into a wall. "You're not the brightest god in the heavens, are you?"

"Buffy! I'm up here!" Dawn shouted. Buffy looked up as Dawn screamed at the top of her lungs. Buffy couldn't really make out Dawn at the end of the platform. "Buffy!" Buffy ran towards the tower, leaping over a pile of bricks and onto the stairs. A minion confronted her but he was shot and fell down the stairs. Buffy looked towards where the shot came from and saw Liam standing holding his gun in one hand and his knife in the other.

"GO!" he shouted. Buffy didn't need to be told twice. She turned and bolted up the stairs. More minions came after Liam. He put his gun away and pulled out his axe and again started chopping and stabbing. But the minions were starting to overrun the gang. Glory picked herself up, looked over and saw Buffy running up the stairs.

"Oh no you don't!" she said.

"Buffy! I'm up here!" Dawn screamed. Midway up the stairs, the stairs ended and the only way up was via ladders. Buffy is ascended onto this level as Glory appeared in front of her and hit her. Buffy hit Glory with the hammer, then Glory kicked her into the scaffolding. They exchange a few more blows and Buffy lost her grip on the hammer, which went flying. It got caught in some chain that were hanging off the tower. Glory grabbed another piece of chain and used it to swing around the side, knocking Buffy aside as Buffy tried to reach the hammer. Buffy fell aside, got up, took another kick from Glory and swung around the scaffolding, kicking Glory. She ducked a punch and went around Glory, kicking her from behind. "Buffy!" Dawn screamed again. Buffy tried to continue climbing but Glory hit her in the leg, making Buffy gasp in pain. They exchanged some more blows, then Buffy resumed climbing up the outer scaffolding. Glory went around beside her and climbed up as well, kicking Buffy as she scaled up a pipe. Buffy slid back down to the previous level. Buffy ran up a ramp, kicking Glory in the face, running down the ramp again and managed to free the hammer. She swung it at Glory and hit her a couple of times, also hitting a ladder which fell aside. Glory hit Buffy in the face and she lost her balance. As she fell backward, she grabbed Glory and they both fell off the tower. They both hit the concrete below, a few feet away from each other. The hammer landed nearby. Buffy got to her feet. Glory did too. Buffy grabbed Glory by the shoulders and pushed her away. Glory winds up a few dozen feet away, beside a wall.

"You lost your hammer, sweet cheeks." Glory said mockingly. "What are you gonna hit me with now?" Buffy looked at the wall. Glory turned to the wall also, just as a huge wrecking-ball crashed through the wall and into Glory. It crashed through a second wall, depositing Glory on the other side, and swung back.

"Whatever's handy." Buffy said. Buffy turned and ran off. Xander was driving the machine that controlled the wrecking ball. He shut down the engine and sat back looking satisfied.

"The glorified bricklayer picks up a spare." He said. Buffy grabbed the hammer lying on the ground and continued to run.

Spike, Anya, Liam, and Giles were taking refuge behind some cover.

"Has anyone noticed we're going backwards?" Anya asked. Spike straightened up to peek over the top of the machine. A brick hit him in the forehead. He ducked down again, looking annoyed.

"It's crossed my mind." he said. The group of crazies were standing between them and the stairs, glaring at them. There were several minions left standing.

"As long as ... Buffy can keep Glory down ... long enough, it doesn't matter." Giles panted looking up at the tower. "There's only a few minutes left to start the ritual."

"Spike, how many more hobbits do you think are still there?" Liam asked.

"Love to check nephew," Spike said. "But I don't want another bri…" Liam handed Spike a small mirror from one of his pouches. "What am I supposed to do with that? Check my hair."

"Use it to pear around the machine without revealing yourself. See how many minions." Spike took the mirror and use it to see the entrance to the stairs.

"Looks to be about ten left." Liam came out form cover and pointed his gun. He fired all his rounds, hitting the minions one by one. Two minions were left and they ran towards Liam. Liam put his gun away and pulled his axe and knife. He twirled them in his hands before throwing them at the same time at the minions. He got the both and the fell dead.

"And then there were none." Liam whispered to himself smiling. He looked to his left and saw five or six more minions. "Scratch that." the minions came at him and he blasted them back with some magic and went back behind the machine with Spike. "You miss counted." Spike shrugged.

Buffy was hitting Glory with the hammer. Glory didn't seem able to fight back. She was just standing there reeling each time Buffy hit her. Dawn looked down at the fight. Suddenly she looked up and gasped. Doc was standing at the other end of the platform, inside the tower.

"You." Dawn said. "You can help me. Untie me. Please. Help me, she's coming." Doc walked forward.

"Well, it seems she's running a bit late, is the thing." He said. "And, uh, if her Splendidness can't be here in time to bleed you..." Dawn looked scared and anxious as she realized he's not on her side. "Hey!" he whispered and winked at her "Kid. Wanna see a trick?" Dawn looked fearfully at him. Suddenly he produced a large shiny knife, holding it up in front of his face. Dawn gasped and cringed.

Down below, Xander leaped over a fence and came to join the others. Spike, Anya, Liam and Giles were all still crouched behind their shelter, looking up at the tower.

"How we doing?" Xander asked.

"So far it's a tie." Anya answered.

"We haven't got up to Dawn, but then neither has anyone else." Giles said.

"Someone's up there." Spike said gazing up.

"I see him too." Liam said also looking up.

Okay, we gotta charge or something." Xander suggested.

"We tried that." Anya replied.

"Spike. Liam. Can you hear me?" Willows voice said in Spike and Liam's head. Willow was talking to them telepathically.

"Yeah, loud and clear." Spike said.

"Copy. What's the plan Will?" Liam said. Willow was on other side of the warehouse with Tara behind her.

"Is there someone up there with Dawn?" she asked.

"Yeah, can't tell who." Spike answered.

"Are you talking to us? "Xander asked.

"No. Willow, now shut up." Liam said.

"Get up there. Go now." Willow ordered them. Spike peered out uncertainly. The crazies and minions were still in battle stance.

"Yeah, but…" Spike began.

"Go!"

"You heard her." Liam said. "Go!" They both got up and charged out as the others stared at them in surprise. Willow put her hand behind her without looking back. Tara put her own hand in Willow's. The entire crowd of minions and crazies suddenly parted into two halves. They all yelled in surprise. Spike and Liam ran through. They reached the stairs and leaped up them without slowing. They got to the last level and ran up the ramp

"Think we'll make it out before your mum takes the bullet?" Spike asked as he started climbing the ladder.

"Only if we get to Dawn and get her the hell outta here." Liam said. Spike stopped climbing and looked to Liam.

"Hey. Good job on telling your mum. She's expecting it and isn't afraid." Liam looked confused.

"What the hell you talklin' about? Get your ass movin' Peroxide." Spike looked annoyed and continued climbing the ladder. At the top, Doc produced a pocket-watch and looked at it as Dawn watched him fearfully.

"Well. What do you know?" Doc said as Spike and Liam appeared behind him. "It's just about that time."

"Spike! Liam!" Dawn screamed. Doc whirled around as Spike and Liam strided slowly forward.

"Hey, didn't I shoot you somewhere before?" Liam asked.

"Doesn't a fella stay dead when you kill him?" Spike asked.

"Look who's talking." Doc countered.

"Come on, Doc. Let's you and me have a go." He looked to Liam. "You don't mind?"

"Hey, your friend. Not mine." Liam responded. Spike nodded and looked back at Doc.

"I ... "do have a prior appointment." Doc said tapping his wrist with the knife.

"This won't take long."

"No, I-I don't imagine it will." Spike lunged forward. Doc sidestepped and grabbed Spike around the neck. He thrusted his knife into Spike's back. Spike and Dawn both gasped.

"Hmm. This guys good." Liam observed. The bloody knife fell onto the floor of the platform. Spike was now standing between Dawn and Doc. Liam was between Doc and the exit. "Give it up Doc. There's no way out, and you can't get to her.

"You don't come near the girl, Doc." Spike said.

"I don't smell a soul anywhere on you." Doc said. "Why do you even care?"

"I made a promise to a lady and to my family."

"Oh?" Doc's long tongue appeared from his mouth, shooting out at Spike, who ducked aside. Doc dropped to his knees and pulled Spike's legs out from under him. Spike fell to the floor. Dawn watched anxiously as they grappled. They get to their feet, Doc was holding on to Spike, pinning his arms behind him. Liam came running forward but Doc kicked him back. He landed on his back on the platform. "Then I'll send the lady your regrets." Spike gave Dawn an agonized look.

"No." Spike whispered. Doc pushed Spike over the edge.

"Aah! No!" Dawn screamed.

"Spike!" Liam yelled. Spike fell to the ground below, landing amid a pile of bricks and made a pained face. Liam got up and looked at Doc.

"You bastard." He said. Doc faced him and shot his tongue out at Liam. Liam was prepared and caught it, twisting it around his arm so that he had control over it. The tongue couldn't go back into Doc's mouth. "Second date. No tongue." Liam pulled the tongue and Doc came forward. Liam kicked him and he went back. Liam pulled and kicked again. Liam pulled again and this time punched Doc. Doc went to punch Liam and Liam ducked it. Doc kneed Liam as he went down and Liam fell back. He lost his grip on the tongue and it went back into Doc's mouth.

"That wasn't nice." Doc said and grabbed Liam by the throat, raising him up. "Where's your gun now?"

"Right…around…where…my foot…is." Liam gasped. Doc looked confused and looked at Liam's feet. Liam kicked and nailed his foot into Doc's groin. Doc groaned and let go. Liam breathed and looked at Doc. Doc got up as if nothing happened.

"Didn't hurt." He said. Liam looked surprised and Doc hit Liam with his tongue. Liam fell back and Doc grabbed him, leaning him over the side. "Tell your friend I said, 'No hard feelings'."

"Go to hell." Liam said.

"Oh, we'll be there." Doc let go and Liam fell down.

"Liam!" Dawn screamed. Liam fell and landed on the concrete hands first, cushioning the fall a little. And groaned in pain and held his hands. He looked over and saw Spike getting up. He also saw his mother fighting Glory. She was winning.

Buffy continued hitting Glory with the hammer. Glory had blood running out of her nose. She gave Buffy an anguished look.

"You're just a mortal." She said. "You couldn't understand my pain."

"Then I'll just have to settle for causing it." Buffy countered and hit Glory with the hammer again. Glory reeled to the side, recovered and turned back.

"You can't kill me."

"No ... but my arm's not even tired yet." She hefted the hammer and hit Glory again. She continued to hit her repeatedly. Glory fell to her knees looking up at Buffy, gasping, on the verge of tears.

"Stop it."

"You're a god." Buffy said as she hit Glory again. She fell on her back on the floor. "Make it stop." Buffy went over to Glory, kneeling beside her and hitting her several more times. Glory was lying there with blood covering half her face. She morphed into Ben. Buffy stopped hitting.

"I'm sorry." Ben said.

"Tell her it's over. She missed her shot. She goes. She ever, 'ever' comes near me and mine again..."

"We won't. I swear." Buffy dropped the hammer and hurried away. Ben lay there, giving a pained cough and smiled painfully but still didn't move. "I guess we're stuck with each other, huh baby?" He breathed painfully. Giles came over and kneeled beside him.

"Can you move?" he asked.

"Need a ... a minute. She could've killed me."

"No she couldn't. Never. And sooner or later Glory will re-emerge, and ... make Buffy pay for that mercy. And the world with her. Buffy even knows that..." Giles reached into his pocket, taking out his glasses putting them on. "and still she couldn't take a human life. She's a hero, you see. She's not like us."

"Us?" Giles went to grab Bens face but Liam came behind him and stopped him. Both Ben and Giles looked up at him. Liam had blood coming down form a cut on his head and was panting.

"Don't." he said. "You're not that kind of person." Giles stared and then nodded. He got up and walked away. Liam watched him leave then looked at Ben. "He was right." Ben nodded. Liam took his empty gun from his holster and took out the last bullet he had in his pocket. Ben stared in shock. Liam loaded up the last bullet. "Buffy's a hero." He pointed his weapon. "Unlike us." He shot Ben in the head. Ben laid there dead. "Just takes practice." Liam threw the gun away.

…

Up at the top of the tower, Dawn was screaming. Doc cut a thin slash at Dawns stomach. Dawn cried out and sobbed in pain.

"Shallow cuts..." Doc said. "shallow cuts..." He made another cut and Dawn cried out again. "Let the blood ... flow ...free." Blood dripped over Dawns bare feet.

"Dawn." Buffy called as she made it to the top

"Buffy!" Dawn gasped in pain. Doc whirled around as Buffy strided forward.

"This should be interesting." Doc said. Buffy didn't even pause. She just kept walking right past Doc, giving him a push as she went. Doc fell over the edge, screaming as Buffy went to Dawn, who continued crying.

"Here." Buffy said as she untied Dawn.

"Buffy, it hurts." Dawn said.

"I got it. Come here. You're gonna be okay." A few drops of Dawn's blood drip over the edge. In midair they meet something, and a small circle of light appeared, quickly growing. Liam looked up and saw the portal growing.

"No." he said and started up the stairs. "No. No. No. No. No. No." Buffy lead Dawn limping across the platform to the tower entrance. Dawn stopped, turning to Buffy.

"Go!

"Buffy, it's started." Buffy turned. They both saw the light of the portal. It was growing ever larger. The portal was crackling and sending out lightning. Giles stared upward. The ground shook. The crazies and minions fell to the ground. Xander and Anya were holding each other and staring up. Willow and Tara were holding each other and staring up too, turning to look in each other's eyes. Spike was still recovering from his fall. He rolled aside as a crack appeared in the ground he was lying on.

"Xander! "Anya screamed and pushed Xander aside as a bolt of lightning went by and a pile of bricks fell on Anya's head.

"Anya!" Xander yelled. Anya was lying unmoving among the bricks. Buffy turned back to Dawn as Dawn continued staring at the portal.

"I'm sorry." Dawn said tearfully

"It doesn't matter." Buffy said. Dawn tried to run past Buffy but Buffy grabbed her. "What are you doing?"

"I have to jump. The energy."

"It'll kill you."

"I know. Buffy, I know about the ritual. I have to stop it."

"No." The tower shook underneath them, making them both stumble.

"I have to. Look at what's happening." More lightning crackled, even larger than before. Buffy looked up. A huge dragon flew out of the portal and buzzed the tower, flying away as they watch. Liam saw the dragon as he made it to the last level before the ladder.

"Man, do I wanna slay a dragon." He said then went back to climbing the ladder.

"Buffy, you have to let me go." Dawn said tearfully. "Blood starts it, and until the blood stops flowing, it'll never stop. " Buffy stared at Dawn in anguish. "You know you have to let me. It has to have the blood." Buffy got a realization look on her face. She started to remember what other people had said.

"_Cause it's always got to be blood."_ Spikes word rang in her head.

"_They had to have gotten the bones, flesh, and blood someplace. They got them form your parents, they got them from you."_ She heard her son's words in her head.

"_It's Summer's blood. It's just like mine. She's me. The monks made her out of me." _She heard her own voice.

"_Death is your gift."_ She heard the First Slayer

Buffy frowned.

"Mom." She turned around slowly as she saw her son coming towards them and stopping in front of them. "Mom." She turned to platform extending into the air. In the distance, holes seemed to be opening in the sky. The sky is growing lighter as the sun tried to rise. Buffy looked peaceful. She turned back to Dawn and Liam, who stared wide-eyed.

"Buffy ... no!" Dawn said realizing what Buffy was thinking

"Dawnie, I have to." Buffy said.

"No!"

"Listen to me. Please, there's not a lot of time, listen. I love you. I will 'always' love you. But this is the work that I have to do. Tell Giles ... tell Giles I figured it out. And, and I'm okay. And give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now. You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world ... is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me." Dawn nodded and cried. Buffy looked to Liam who had tears in his eyes that fell of his cheeks. "You're not going to try and stop?" Liam shook his head no. "Why?"

"Because I knew this would happen." Liam said sadly. Buffy and Dawn looked at him. "I was told of all your deaths. You drowning, you getting shot…..and you jumping into a portal." Buffy gazed at her son. He sniffled and cracked a smile. "But you'll come back. I know it." Buffy just stared at him. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want the thought going through your head. I didn't want it to be an option. I wanted to stop it from happening. Even though you'll come back." He cried even more. "I'm sorry. I'm so s-s-o-orry." Buffy took a step forward and hugged her son. He hugged back crying into her shoulder.

"Shh. Shh. It's ok." Buffy said. "I'm not mad. I know you hold us all at heart. And the things you don't say are for our benefit. And I couldn't be more proud of you." Liam pulled away and they looked at each other. This was it. Liam was going to watch his mother die in front of him again. He knew she would come back. He knew where she would go. At least she would still be alive to have him. At least she would come back and he could prevent her depression. Things would be alright. But it still didn't help him seeing his mother die in front of him. He felt as if this was his fault. He felt the guilt of his mother dying all over again.

**And this is where I stop. I know you guys might hate me now, but don't you worry. I stopped at this point because this point marks where the next chapter and where the sequel will take you. That's why you'll decide what happens. Out of all the possibilities that went through my head in a matter of ten minutes, I want you to decide what will happen. Do you want me to stick with the canon and let Buffy die then come back, or do you want me to do something inexplicably crazy that doesn't really follow that canon. I fear that if I do something crazy, this whole story and the next will make people say 'what is this?' if I stick with the canon, I probably won't have that problem. But it's up to you. No matter what you choose, someone will die and then come back. Everyone that you read about in this story, aside from Glory and Ben, will be in the sequel. I will take the first five reviews as votes. What ever you decide, I will do. As usual, Comment and Review. And vote. Stay tune.**


	29. The Gift Not Expected

Chapter 29: The Gift Not Expected

**OK. So I took everyone's vote into account and I've decided to say 'to hell with the canon' and do my own story. More will be explained with the next chapter update because it'll tell you about the sequel. This is the final chapter of this story and will leave you with a surprising cliffhanger that will bleed into the next story. This chapter will also reveal who the woman was in Spikes future wedding and the case file that Liam had Angel get from LA. Enjoy.**

"Mom." Buffy turned around slowly as she saw her son coming towards them and stopping in front of them. "Mom." She turned to platform extending into the air. In the distance, holes seemed to be opening in the sky. The sky was growing lighter as the sun tried to rise. Buffy looked peaceful. She turned back to Dawn and Liam, who stared wide-eyed.

"Buffy ... no!" Dawn said realizing what Buffy was thinking

"Dawnie, I have to." Buffy said.

"No!"

"Listen to me. Please, there's not a lot of time, listen. I love you. I will 'always' love you. But this is the work that I have to do. Tell Giles ... tell Giles I figured it out. And, and I'm okay. And give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now. You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world ... is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me." Dawn nodded and cried. Buffy looked to Liam who had tears in his eyes that fell of his cheeks. "You're not going to try and stop me?" Liam shook his head no. "Why?"

"Because I knew this would happen." Liam said sadly. Buffy and Dawn looked at him. "I was told of all your deaths. You drowning, you getting shot…..and you jumping into a portal." Buffy gazed at her son. He sniffled and cracked a smile. "But you'll come back. I know it." Buffy just stared at him. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want the thought going through your head. I didn't want it to be an option. I wanted to stop it from happening. Even though you'll come back." He cried even more. "I'm sorry. I'm so s-s-o-orry." Buffy took a step forward and hugged her son. He hugged back crying into her shoulder.

"Shh. Shh. It's ok." Buffy said. "I'm not mad. I know you hold us all at heart. And the things you don't say are for our benefit. And I couldn't be more proud of you." Liam pulled away and they looked at each other. This was it. Liam was going to watch his mother die in front of him again. He knew she would come back. He knew where she would go. At least she would still be alive to have him. At least she would come back and he could prevent her depression. Things would be alright. But it still didn't help him seeing his mother die in front of him. He felt as if this was his fault. He felt the guilt of his mother dying all over again.

Buffy turned to Dawn who was crying. She stroked the side of Dawn's face, then kissed her on the cheek. Dawn continued to cry. She looked to Liam one last time.

"Tell Angel," she addressed both of them. "Tell him I love him. And that I will always love him. No matter where I am, or what comes between us. I love more than anything." They both nodded sadly. Liam couldn't stand it. His mother was about to die in front of him again. What if he had told her what was to come before they even came? Would she have done something different? He would never know. He could hear the crackle of the lighting coming from the portal. It was getting worse. He could hear the accelerated heartbeats of himself, his aunt, and his mother. But he also heard a faint fluttering heartbeat. No one else was up here with them. He heard it coming from Buffy. He heard her heartbeat and he heard the faint one. Buffy turned.

"Mom, wait." Liam said and grabbed Buffy's arm. Buffy turned to look at him.

"Liam I have to do this." Buffy said.

"Wait!" he listened carefully and placed a hand on Buffy's stomach. His eyes grew wide with realization. "Connor." He whispered.

"What?"

"Connor." He looked at her. "You're pregnant." Buffy's eyes grew wide as well. Dawn looked shocked.

"What? No. No. I'm not."

"Mom I can hear his heartbeat inside of you."

"But Angel and I….We didn't…" She trailed off as a memory came to her mind. The night Angel went back to LA after they had gotten back together, they didn't remember to use protection. That's when it happened. Angel's life he won was cashed in. "Oh my god! We did."

"I can't allow you. Not with him." Liam said.

"But the portal. If I don't…."

"Dawn's blood." Liam said looking at her. "Your blood." He looked to the end of the platform. "My blood." Buffy realized what he was saying.

"No. I can't allow you." He looked back at her.

"I love. Tell dad I love him too. I love everyone." He hugged both his mother and his aunt. "Be safe." He pulled out against Buffy's will and leaped over them. They both turned around as Liam ran to edge.

"LIAM!" Buffy shouted. Liam dived off the end of the platform and into the portal. Dawn and Buffy watched. Dawn was sobbing, Buffy had tears forming. Liam fell into the portal and hung there motionless, making expressions of pain. The portal was writhing and spitting. Buffy and Dawn stayed rooted to the spot where Liam just jumped. Liam continued to feel immense amount of pain as memories of his friends and family went through his mind. Him fighting alongside his sister, him playing with his cousins, him marrying his wife. All of his happy memories flashed before his eyes as he continued to feel pain. Angelus was nothing compare to what he felt. He wasn't just losing his life, he was losing any hope of seeing his future that he'd hope to create.

The portal shrunk to nothingness and disappeared. The sun began to rise. There was a deadly silence in the air. Buffy looked back to Dawn, who was still crying and lead her down the tower. At the ground level, Willow and Tara, who were holding each other up, walked forward. Giles came behind them. Xander was holding Anya in his arms. They all walked forward, and stared at Liam's lifeless body lying amid the debris. Spike was trying to come forward but fell to the ground as the sunlight hit him. Willow and Tara stood there as Willow began to cry. Xander and Anya looked sad. Anya lowered her head to Xander's shoulder. Giles walked forward looking very sad. He was looking at the body of his grandson. The man that had went through so much as a child. That had sacrificed so much for the greater good. He was indeed Buffy and Angel's son. Giles began to cry. Spike sat on the ground with his hands over his face as he sobbed for the only person he considered family was dead. The only person who loved him no matter what he was. Buffy and Dawn came slowly down the stairs. Dawn was holding her side as Buffy guided her down. Buffy saw the gang encircled around Liam and let go of Dawn and went over past everyone. She came to a stop in front of her son's body. She dropped to her knees and slid over so that she was close to Liam. She had tears in her eyes but they weren't falling. She hoped that it wasn't over. She hoped that because he was something more, that maybe he somehow survived.

"Liam." She said to her son's body. No response. She shook his body. "Liam." Still nothing. She didn't want a repeat of her mom so she started to pump air into Liam. Hoping the was still save him. She blow two gulps of air into him and went back to pumping.

"Buffy." Giles said. She didn't respond. He took a few steps forward and placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "Buffy, he's gone." She swatted his hand and pushed Giles away.

"No! He can still be saved. I just have to keep trying." She blew more air into him and pumped. With each pump, a small sob escaped. She stopped pumping and proceeded to pound on his chest. Nothing. He pounding turned to just hitting as the damn broke. She started to cry. "Fuck" she sobbed and stopped hitting her son's dead chest. She leaned her head onto his chest and proceeded to cry. Dawn walked over next to Giles and began to cry again. Buffy cried in her son's chest and lifted herself back up. She pulled her son's body into her and hugged it the same way she hugged him the first night he opened up to her. That night that she comforted him after they had experienced their worst days. She started petting his hair the same way as she cried. This was diffidently Buffy's worst day. She found out that she would be gaining one son, but she had just lost another. It wasn't fair to her.

…

**Authors note: At this point I would recommend for dramatic effect, for you all to look up on YouTube, **_**Sleepsong**_** and start playing it. It's really a fantastic song. It helps with the story. Start playing it now.**

…

Buffy was crying as she held her dead son in her arms. She held him protectively as if he was still alive and didn't want to let go. If she did, then to her, he was really gone. He never had the childhood she wanted for him. She didn't give him anything that he deserved. There was one thing that she wanted to give him for a long time now. She controlled herself and had stopped crying but the tears were still falling. She began to sing.

_Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby_

_Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay _

_And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow_

_Bless you with love for the road that you go_

She sang the lullaby song that he gave her for her birthday. That night she listened to it and memorized it then.

_May you sail fair to the far fields of fortune_

_With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet _

_And may you need never to banish misfortune_

_May you find kindness in all that you meet_

_May there always be angels to watch over you_

_To guide you each step of the way_

_To guard you and keep you safe from all harm_

_Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay_

The gang gathered closer as Buffy sang to Liam. All of them began to cry more as Buffy sang to her son. They remembered the song from her birthday. It was really beautiful. They all felt a pound of guilt for their hostility to Liam before they found out who he was. After seeing what Liam had done and what he did for them just now, they felt worse for not accepting him in the first place. Buffy rocked Liam's still form as she sang to him.

_May you bring love and may you bring happiness_

_Be loved in return to the end of your days_

_Now fall off to sleep, I'm not meaning to keep you_

_I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li, lai-lay_

_May there always be angels to watch over you_

_To guide you each step of the way_

_To guard you and keep you safe from all harm_

_Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay_

Buffy broke down and cried even more. She placed her forehead on Liam's and cried harder. Tears fell on to his face, but he didn't give any sign of feeling them. He couldn't feel anything. Buffy kissed his forehead showing her last act of love for her child.

…

Later that night, Angel and his team were walking up to the steps of the Hyperion. They had just gotten back form Pylea where they had changed the order of how things ran there, and they managed to free a girl named Fred who had been trapped there for five years. She was still pretty shaky from her experience but felt a little better after arriving back on earth. Especially with Angel. They had just entered the garden.

"Are-are you sure about that?" Fred asked Cordy who was dressed in her princess outfit.

"Trust me." Cordy responded. "Tacos everywhere – and – soap!"

"Yo, that portal thing was a fun ride." Gunn said. "We sell it to a theme park we could get paid!" Angel pushed to the front as the got to the doors leading to the hotel itself.

"Okay." Angel said smiling. "Can I say it? I wanna say it."

"Say what?" Wesley asked. Angel pushed the double doors open, walking into the lobby.

"There's no place like…" he trailed off as he saw Buffy hunched over the sateen and Willow sitting next to her holding her. Angel smile vanished as Willow looked up and signaled to Buffy that he had arrived. Buffy looked up and Angel saw the red puffiness of her eyes where she had been crying. "Buffy?" he went over to her but he they didn't hug. "What's wrong?" the rest of the AI team came into the lobby looking at the two girls. Buffy just stared at Angel.

"Angel." She whispered. She placed a hand over her mouth. Barley able to think the words that were going to come out.

"Buffy." Angel said.

"Angel….Glory…Glory found out about Dawn." Angel was stunned. "We…We got away but she got her. We fought and Glory's….dead."

"That's great." Angel said smiling again. He didn't know what was wrong. Buffy was safe, Dawn was safe, Glory was dead. It was perfect.

"Angel….I'm…" She sniffled. "I'm pregnant." Angel turned from happy to complete shock. He'd expect to hear these words one day, but not now. Not when she was facing an apocalypse. His shock turned to pure joy. He started smile again.

"That's great. It's unbelievable." He said and he picked her up and spun her. The AI team all had faces of joy for Buffy. They came over to them to congratulate them.

"Congratulations." Wesley said.

"I'm going to be an aunt." Cordelia said excitedly.

"Good for you man." Gunn said.

Angel stopped spinning Buffy and let her down. They all noticed that she didn't look thrilled. In fact, she looked even more sad.

"Buffy what is it?" Angel asked. "Don't you want to have this baby?"

"I do." Buffy whispered. "Angel….Liam…" she put her hand to her mouth again. Not being able to say the words. But he had to know. She had to tell him. Angel didn't understand her sadness. Glory was dead, Dawn was safe, they were having a baby. He didn't know anything that could ruin it. "Liam's dead." She finally said. That did it. All the joy that Angel felt in the last 30 seconds had been ripped from him in all of two. His son was dead.

"Liam's…..dead?" Buffy nodded crying now. Angel shook his head. "No. No." he started to cry. Buffy closed her eyes and fell into Angel's arms crying her heart out. They both sunk to the floor holding each other as they began to cry for their son. The AI team were confused. They had only met Liam that one time and they didn't even know his name. Who were they crying over? Wesley looked over to Willow who was crying silently.

"Willow." He said. Willow looked at them and gestured for them to go to office to talk. They walked into the office leaving Buffy and Angel crying in the lobby. After they made their way into the office, Willow walked to the chair in front of the desk and sat.

"So what's going on?" Cordelia asked. "Who is this Liam guy and why are Buffy and Angel crying about him being dead? Yeah I know that death is sad, but they are acting like they lost someone they loved more than themselves."

"Cordelia." Willow said solemnly looking at her. "You all better sit down. There's something you all need to understand." She spent the next half hour explaining who Liam was and how much he meant to Buffy and Angel. She explained how he was from the future and what his mission was to come to the past to prevent the apocalypse in the future. They were all stunned. Including Fred who had to be given the crash course of Buffy and Angel's relationship. She was disappointed that Angel was with someone, but she was a little more shocked that there was someone from the future that was their son and had sacrificed himself for them and for Buffy's unborn child.

"I don't believe it." Wesley said.

"Me either." Gunn said.

"That's horrible." Cordelia said with tears in her eyes. Over the past two years, she had cared for Angel because of who he was and for what he had done for her. Now knowing what his future had in store and that his son died, it was a lot to take in.

"It's awful." Wesley said.

"He just jumped in to save the world?" Gunn asked Willow. She just nodded. He bowed his head. Gunn only met Liam once, and just from what he had heard about him, he had more guts to do what was right for the world than he did.

"I can't imagine the pain they're going through." Wesley said. Willow just bowed her head and cried silently again.

Outside the office, Angel was still holding Buffy and saying Liam's name. He didn't spend a whole lot of time with Liam. Just a few spar matches and a hockey game of two. That was it. He wished that he spent more time with his son. Part of him gave him hope because Liam would be born and he would spend a life time with him. Another part of him didn't want to wait that long for him. He wanted the baby growing inside of Buffy to be Liam and would come out now. He wanted to see his son one more time. He wanted his son to be there with him.

…

A few days later, Angel and Buffy were in Buffy's room of her house, just sitting on the bed holding each other. Angel had decided to move in with Buffy for a while to help with the slaying, the baby, and to help her through this really hard time. He would also be in town for their wedding that would happen next month, but at this point, they weren't so sure if they would even have a wedding. Maybe they would just elope to avoid a hassle. They really weren't in an excited mood for the occasion that they both had dreamed of since they first fallen in love with each other. Their son was dead. Their 22 year old son that they had known for only several months, was dead. It didn't feel like and adult son died in battle, it felt like they had lost a baby shortly after it was born. They didn't spend so much time with him as they wanted. The only hope that they had of recovering was the fact that a baby Liam would be born in years to come.

"Angel. Buffy." Willow said as she walked into the room slowly. "We're just about ready to go. We're waiting on Angel's team to arrive." They couple just looked forward not answering. "We'll be ready to go whenever you are." They still didn't answer. Willow nodded and turned to leave.

"I don't think he ever did anything for himself." Buffy finally said. Willow turned back to look at her. "Not once since I first met him did I see him do anything selfish for himself." She paused. "Guess he was really like his father."

"No." Angel said. "I think he was more like his mother. Passionate, devoted to his family and friends, he would have done anything for us."

"And he did." She took in a deep breath and let it out. "That night Pessimus attacked, he broke through the curse and cried in my arms from when we left to when we got to his apartment. I held him all night as he cried. He clung on to me like he didn't want me to leave." A tear fell down Buffy's face.  
"It's all my fault."

"No Buffy it wasn't." Willow said. "Liam came back so that you could live and his brother could live. He did it so that you and Angel could have your first child together. So that you two could get married together like you always wanted. He did it all for the both of you."

"If I hadn't been in Pylea." Angel said. "Maybe if I had stayed. If I had helped…"

"Angel, Buffy." Willow said coming closer and kneeling down. "I know now you both feel like it's your faults for not doing something, but Liam wouldn't have wanted you two to blame yourselves. He would have wanted you both to embrace the gift that he gave you both. To be together and create the family that he will have and that you could shape." Buffy scoffed.

"Death is my gift." She said. "It was true. No matter what happened. I die, I save the world. I grow up, give birth to a son that would go back in time and save the world in my place by dying. My love would bring him forth to die to save the world. Stupid prophetic visions"

"I'm not going to go in-depth of the whole time space continuum, but if you both live and prevent that apocalypse in the future, he wouldn't need to come back and die. You will save him. You won't lose him. He'll be there." They heard a scream downstairs and they all immediately got up and went downstairs. They saw the AI team there with Lorne all looking at the Scooby gang.

"What happened?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing, nothing." Lorne said. "Little sis there just screamed when she saw me."

"We explained that Lorne was on our side and that he helped us back in LA." Wesley said.

"Well not just you all, but Liam too." Everyone looked to Lorne. "I shouldn't say this but seeing as everyone here knows about Liam and all. Liam told me who he was and what his mission was. He came to see me to tell him when I saw Angelcakes and his Darla again. He wanted to stop them from doing the deed to have Connor."

"You were his friend in LA." Buffy said now getting it.

"Yeah. He had to sing for me to gain my trust. Let me tell ya, he's a much better singer than his father." He smiled but no one else seemed to want to. "Right." Angel solemnly walked over to Lorne.

"Thank you." He said as he held out his hand and Lorne shook it. "Thank you for everything."

"It's ok Angelcakes. Just make sure your little bun there grows up with love like Liam wanted." Angel nodded and took a step back and stood next to Buffy.

"Are we all ready to go then?" Giles asked. Everyone nodded and they all left the house.

…

They were having the funeral at night to accommodate Angel and Spike because Liam loved them a lot. They stood around the little grave plate with Liam's name, date of death, and an inscription.

LIAM SUMMERS

2001

BELOVED SON

HE DID NOTHING FOR HIMSELF

BUT FOR THE FUTURE

They all stared at the plate as Buffy and Angel stepped forward and placed a bouquet of flowers down at the spot.

"I promise, my son," Buffy began. "What you did for us, will never be forgotten. Our child, your brother, will know what you did for us. You and your sister will know what you did for us."

"We're prepared now." Angel said. "We know who we're fighting. We know what will happen. When time comes for you and your siblings to fight, they'll be as strong, powerful, and brave as you are. We will prevent the future that you came from. You will grow up in the future that you deserve."

"You may not see it now, but you succeeded. You will have saved the future." Buffy kneeled down and kissed the grave plate. She stood back up and held Angels hand. They took a few steps back and stared at the grave. The Scooby gang and AI team said their goodbyes to Liam and left. All except for Spike who hadn't said anything yet. He wanted only for Angel and Buffy to here. He stepped forward.

"It's a shame you did what you did." Spike began. "But what you did saved a lot of people. It inspired a lot of people. This one included. You cared about me long before anyone else did. You didn't see me as the monster I am. You saw me as the man I will become. I'm not sure how I become it, but after you, I will do everything in my power to be that man that you will love. I will be that man that helped you when you needed. I helped saved you in the future. You repaid me by getting me on my correct path towards my destiny. To reach who I am meant to be. I'll never forget what you've done for me Liam. Thank you." He took a step back and turned to the couple. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks Spike." Buffy said. "Just so you know. I do love you like a brother. You are family to us." Spike nodded and left. Buffy and Angel stood at the gravesite a little longer. The memories of their son and his stories ran through their heads. It was true, all he ever did was for his family and friends and the world. Nothing was for himself. Angel and Buffy stood their staring for what seemed like hours before finally turning and walking away.

…

Buffy and Angel were in their room at the Summers house. They had just gotten back. They hadn't spoken a word since they left Liam's grave. They just walked slowly back to the house and got into their pajamas without breaking stride. Buffy went over to the chair in her room where the bag filled with Liam's stuff was. She reache din and pulled out Mr. Azul the blue bear. She climbed into bed and held it close to her chest.

"What's that?" Angel asked.

"Mr. Azul." Buffy answred. "It was Liam's when he was a child. He brought it with him." Angel nodded understanding and got into bed with her. They held each other, unable to think of anything else besides their now dead son. They were so deep in thought, they were startled when they heard a light knock on the door. Dawn came in slowly.

"Dawnie?" Buffy said.

"I couldn't sleep." Dawn said. "Can I come in?"

"Of course." Angel said. They both made some room for Dawn as she came and climbed into bed with them.

"How are you feeling?" Buffy asked.

"Awful." Dawn said as tears started to form. "It should have been me. I should have jump. Not him. Not you. Me."

"No Dawnie." Angel said hugging her. "Liam would never have allowed anyone to jump."

"He was going to let Buffy jump." Angel looked shocked at Buffy.

"He said I would come back." Buffy said getting teary eyed. "He said that he knew that I would jump and die, and then come back." Angel was even more shocked. Why hadn't Liam told them? "He said he didn't want me to have those thoughts in my head. He didn't want me to know what I had to do. He wanted to prevent it." she started crying and Angel shifted in bed so that he was holding both Dawn and Buffy in his arms.

"Shh. Shh." Angel tried to calm them. "It was his decision. It was his plan. He was the one that tried to save us for the future." He paused. "He was a hero." Buffy and Dawn both calmed down, but their tears still fell from their eyes. Angel had a few tears forming. He let his mind wander as the memory of when Buffy lost her mother and the conversation they had came to him.

"_I'm thinking about tomorrow."_

"_What's tomorrow?"_

"_That's exactly what I don't know."_

Buffy was right. It would be a little easier for him because Liam would come into this world and he could watch him grow up. The hardest part maybe him waiting. But it wasn't just Liam that Angel was thinking about tomorrow, it was where he had to be. Tomorrow was the day that Angel promised his son he would go and finish a job that Liam set out to do.

…

**Two Months Before Liam's 'Death'**

**Woman's Correctional Institute, California**

**Day Time**

"Let's go Lehane." Said the guard that led Faith to her cell. Faith followed without backtalk. She chose to go to prison for her crimes. She chose to seek redemption for what she's done. She felt so guilty after her crimes that she wanted to die. But she never did. Instead, the one person in all the world to help her seek redemption, was the one vampire who was doing it himself. She owed Angel everything. She hadn't thought about how to repay him. She didn't really thought about how to make it up to everyone she hurt. Especially Buffy. The one person who had cared for her when no one else did. She spat at her every chance she gave her all because she was jealous that she had the perfect life. Family, friends, love. She never had that. She wanted it.

The guard brought her to her cell and opened the doors and pushed her in. Faith didn't say anything against it. In a way, she deserved everything she would get in here. She sighed and sat down on her cot, brooding like Angel.

"Never thought I'd see that face on you." She heard a voice in her cell and she immediately stood up and went into her fighting stance. She didn't see anyone else in her cell, but that didn't mean that someone wasn't there. She heard chuckling. "Relax Faith, I'm not here to hurt you."

"Says the voice that I can't see where it's coming from." Faith said.

"Look, if you drop your guard, I promise I won't hurt you and I will reveal myself." Faith hesitated for a moment before dropping her guard but kept the stance in case it was a trick. "Close enough." A figure appeared in front her. She was going to kick it when she saw who it was, or who it looked like. The man before her had on a black coat, dark blue jeans, black boots, a black shirt, had black spiked hair and wore sunglasses. This man looked a lot like Angel.

"Angel?" Faith asked. The man chuckled.

"No. But I get confused with him a lot."

"Who are you?"

"A man who needs your help Faith." He said as he put his hands behind his back.

"Sorry, but I don't help people I don't know."

"I'm also a man who doesn't have a lot of time on his plate."

"Then talk fast."

"Gonna need a few hours maybe, soooo…." He pulled out a gun with a silencer on it and shot at Faith. She felt the bullet and there was a flash. She then stood in the same cell she was in clutching at the where the bullet hit her. But she didn't feel any pain. She looked at where the wound would be but there wasn't anything there. She looked at the man and then looked at her surroundings. The atmosphere had turned blue, and there was a deadly silence inside the prison. She could hear when there were woman yelling but now, she couldn't even hear a fly.

"What did you do?" she asked forcefully.

"Brought you to Limbo." The man said. "Here an eternity happens. But in reality, only a second. I had to bring you in here to talk to you without wasting time."

"What do you want from me?"

"I need you Faith. I need you out of this prison and helping on the hellmouth. We need you."

"Look there's already a slayer on the hellmouth. Go ask her for help."

"She won't be enough. You have to go and help her."

"Who are you anyway? I'm not going to help you do anything without knowing what's going on." The man sighed and pulled off his sunglasses, revealing his green eyes that Faith remembered looked like Buffy's "Whoa. You don't just look like Angel, you also look like…"

"Buffy. Yeah. There's a reason for that."

"What reason?"

"I'm their son." Faith looked stunned. "From the future." He held out his hand. "Liam." Faith looked at it warily before shaking it.

"Faith."

"I know."

"So how did you…you know…I mean I thought that vampires can't impregnate."

"Outside forces interfered and I was conceived. Along with my siblings. But this isn't about how I was conceived. This about you being on the Hellmouth and helping us out. My future is fucked up and me and my team can't fight it. I came back in time to change the course of some events so that not only do I have the advantage, but so do you and mom. I came back to try and stop the apocalypse all together."

"Look, I'd love to help out and all, but I'm supposed to be here and serve my time. In case you haven't learned about the history of me and this gang, but I've got murder 2. Serving 25 to life. I can't escape. No matter what."

"Hey, I know for a fact that in the next few years, you escape to help out my dad when Angelus is loose and you help him with regaining his soul. After that, you go to Sunnydale and help my mom with another apocalypse. And then you help her out for the next several years under the alias Hope Lyonne. And in that time, you gain your redemption by falling in love and having a kid."

"Really?" Faith scoffed. "I don't believe one bit of what you're saying."

"Ok. The one thing I didn't tell you when we came to Limbo was that in here, we can experience our past memories." Liam walked closer so that he was right in front of Faith. "And if you want, I can show you my past memories of when you gained your redemption." He held out his hand for her to take. Faith looked warily at it.

"How do I know that this isn't some trick?"

"What do you have to lose?" He was right. Faith didn't have anything to lose now. What if what he said was true? Then she would have something to lose. But she couldn't be sure. Liam cracked a smile. "Have faith." She smiled at his joke and took his hand. There was a flash and Faith and Liam stood in a crowded church.

"Where are we?"

"One of my memories. See that handsome devil in Willow's arms." He pointed to a little boy in a tux that sat in Willow's arms.

"That's you?"

"Yep. And this your wedding day."

"My wedding day?"

"Well if it isn't, you're going to be pissed that someone is passing off as you." The music started to play and everyone turned towards the entrance. Dawn came down in her purple dress followed by Buffy in her yellow dress with the maid of honor sash.

"Dawn? Buffy?"

"Bridesmaid and Maid of Honor." Liam replied. "And look who's coming now." Faith saw her future self come down the aisle in a veil and a white wedding dress.

"God, she's beautiful." Faith turned to that voice and saw a man in a tux at the altar and Angel standing behind him. Faith recognized the man she was marrying.

"Hey, isn't that Spike the vampire?"

"Yeah. Apparently you and mom had a lot in common. One of them was you two being attracted to a vampire."

"And I go on to marry him?" Liam nodded. Faith couldn't believe it. She was going to marry a vampire. It was unbelievable. But she saw the look on her future self's face. It was pure happiness. She never had the look before. Not at all. The minute she saw it, she immediately wanted it. She wanted to have this wedding. She wanted to have Spike.

"And this is just the beginning." Liam said. Faith turned to him. "Do you wanna see the next day that you feel like you get your redemption?" Faith nodded. Liam held her shoulder and there was another flash. They were now in a hospital room and Faith looked towards the bed where she saw the Scooby gang huddled around it. She saw Dawn with a baby, who looked about a year old, in her arms and saw buffy and Angel with their children beside them, both staring at the baby in Faiths arms. Faith got a better look at who was in the bed and saw herself holding a new born baby and Spike right next to her. She had only seen Spike once and that was when she was in Buffy's body. He was wearing a black leather jacket and black pants and shirt then. But now, he wore a blue polo shirt and kakis. His hair wasn't bleach blonde like she first saw him. Instead it was brown and a little curly. They were all smiling at the baby Faith held.

"Faith, he's so beautiful." Willow said who had a two year old in her arms.

"He gets that from his papa." Spike said smiling.

"No, he gets it from me." Future Faith said laughing.

"Well what are you going to name him?" Buffy asked as little Liam stared in awe at the baby.

"William." Future Faith responded. "After his father."

"Hey you got that from me and Liam."

"Well, it's a nice name."

"I like it." Spike said.

"That's because it's your name." Angel said as the girl beside him hugged his leg and looked at the child in Faiths arms.

"William Lehane." Dawn said. "It's nice."

"Yeah. Gotta a nice ring to it." Xander said.

"What about a middle name?" A man that Faith didn't recognize say.

"Ooo. I vote Spike." Spike said.

"No." Faith responded. "We will not name our child after just you."

"I got one." The man said.

"What?" Faith asked.

"Wait for it."

"Ok."

"Wait for it."

"I'm waiting Connor. Just tell me."

"No. the middle name is Wait for it. That way when someone asks his name he could say, William Wait For It Lehane."

"You got that from 'How I Met Your Mother'." Willow accused him.

"Well it's a good TV show and it's an awesome name." Connor defended.

"Giles." Faith said and everyone looked at her. "I want it to be Giles." She looked at her son. "William Giles Lehane." Spike put his arm around his wife.

"It's beautiful luv." Spike said and kissed his child. The real Faith watched the scene before her with tears in her eyes. Liam was right. She would go on to have her redemption and be loved in the future by her friends and she would have a family.

"You see Faith." Liam said. "You will have a happy life in the future. I didn't come back to change that. I did come back so that it could happen sooner." Faith turned to him.

"By getting me out of jail and sending me back to my friends?"

"Yes. It'll take some time but if you're willing to wait several weeks, you'll be out by summer." Faith couldn't believe what her future held for her. She smiled a happy smile that had never shown before. She looked to the scene and then back at Liam.

"You'll make it happen?"

"Of course I will." Liam said smiling and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're my aunt and I love you. You in fact help me out when I was going down a dark path. You and Spike both. I wouldn't be the man I am without you. Thank you Aunt Faith." Faith smiled more and hugged her nephew. He hugged back in delight. "I'm going to work on getting you out of prison. And when I succeed, I'll be there to pick you up, or dad will."

"Ok." Faith sniffled. "Thank you."

"For what?" Liam asked as he pulled away from her.

"For showing me that I'm not a lost cause."

"No one is unless they want to be." They smiled at each other. "Faith I gotta go now. I'll be here when you'll be released."

"How will I be released?"

"I'll get your case file and wipe everyone's minds that know about you and bribe a witch to mind control a guard into letting you go. Me or dad will be waiting for you."

"I'll be waiting for that guard." Faith said smiling. There was a flash and Faith found herself back in her cell and the atmosphere was back to normal. She still had tears in her eyes from what just happened. Was it all a dream? She didn't know. She looked at the bed she was on and saw a note on it. She picked it up and read it.

_Thank you Aunt Faith_

_I won't let you down_

_Your Welcome_

_Love Liam_

Faith read the note twice. There was someone out there who really cared for her instead of looking at her as some kind of freak.

"Hey Lehane." Said a guard looking in. "You alright?" Faith composed herself and looked towards the guard.

"Five by Five." She responded.

…

**Two weeks before Liam's 'Death'**

Liam turned to his father after getting off the phone about Warren and his Buffybot he had built. "Dad can I talk to you privately in the kitchen?" Angel nodded and the headed into the kitchen.

"What is it?" Angel asked.

"I need a favor. Do you still have cop friends?"

"I have contacts with cop friends. Why?"

"Because, I need a case." Angel stared at his son.

"A case?" Liam nodded. "Ok. If you want to come to LA with me, I'm sure I can find….

"No dad. I need to stay here. I need a closed case file. Particularly that of a certain person."

"Who?"

"Faith."

"Faith?" Liam nodded. "Why do you need her case file?"

"Because, I need her to help us out with saving the future. I need her out a prison. I've been trying to somehow get that case file for over a month but with no luck. You're my last shot at getting it. Can you do it?" Angel pitched his nose and sighed.

"Are you sure that you need Faith? I mean we do have your mother."

"She won't be enough, dad. Trust me. And I need Faith. I also need you to pick her up in about two weeks if I can't make it."

"Why me?"

"Because you are the only person she trusts. I already saw her and told her everything. She believes me and wants to help. She'll be expecting you or me." Angel looked uncertain at the thought.

"Does your mother know about this?"

"No. She's already got enough on her plate. She doesn't need to worry about Faith right now."

"Do you want Faith to help with Glory?"

"We could use the help. It's a bad idea to go up against a slayer anyway. Up against two is just complete plain suicide."

"But she's a god."

"And mom beats her in the future. I'm sure we'll find some way to do it and have an even better chance if Faith helps." Angel still didn't really like the plan. Faith was seeking redemption in prison. Maybe if she did get out and started helping, she would seek atonement and be forgiven like he was doing.

"What do you need the file for?" Angel asked.

"I need the names of everyone that was involved in the case. The judge, jury, witnesses, everyone."

"You're going to wipe there memories."

"Yes. Faith had to undergo an alias in the future and I don't want that for her. I want to help her dad." Angel wasn't 100% with the plan but it seemed like a good idea. He really wanted to help Faith and his son seemed to be on top of it all.

"Ok. I'll get the case file. But we have to tell your mother."

"We will. But first, get the case and let me take care of Faith. When we are about to pick her up, then we can tell mom. But until then, no telling her. She needs to focus on Glory and Dawn now."

"Deal."

…

**Five days after Liam's 'Death'**

**Women's Correctional institute**

**Night Time**

Angel remembered his conversation with his son before he got Faith's case file from LA. He hadn't told Buffy where he was going. He didn't want to tell her yet. She was an even more wreck then he was about Liam's death. Mostly because of the pregnancy and the morning sickness that had started after Liam's funeral. It fit right about with her mood. After Liam's death, Buffy felt nothing but sickness and sadness. Morning sickness reflected that. Angel didn't want to take her along, for the baby's sake. He waited outside the prison for Faith. He saw her being escorted by a guard. She was in her normal clothes and when she saw Angel, had a smile on her face. The guard brought her over to Angel.

"Thanks." Angel said and the guard let go of Faith and as he shook his head and rubbed his eyes as he came out of his trance. He saw Angel and Faith.

"What are you two doing here?" he said. "Visiting hours are in the daytime."

"Sorry." Faith said. "We were just leaving." The guard nodded and turned and left. Faith faced Angel. "Hey Angel." She said with a smile. Angel didn't return it. "What's wrong?"

"Faith, You know about Liam?" Angel asked.

"Yeah. He said he was your son. Yours and Buffy's."

"That's true." Angel said as he bowed his head.

"What is it?" Angel looked up at her.

"Why don't you get in the car. I'll tell you on the way." Faith nodded and they both got into Angel's convertible. Angel drove back to Sunnydale and told Faith everything about what had happened. He told Faith about Glory, Joyce's death, Him and Buffy getting engaged, Him and Buffy having a baby now. Faith was excited for him and Buffy and was amazed at the stories he told. But when he told her about Liam's death, her smile faded and she looked shocked. The man that had helped her start her path to redemption early was dead. The man that gave her so much hope had died. She held back tears and was silent the whole way back to Sunnydale. Angel pulled in front of the Summer's house. The lights were which meant that everyone was still home. Everyone had started hanging around the Summer's home since the battle with Glory.

"I don't how to face them." Faith said as she got out of Angel's car.

"I'll help you with whatever comes." Angel said standing beside her.

"Even your hormonal girlfriend?"

"Even her." They both started walking up to the house. Angel opened up the door for them. The gang was sitting in the living room eating pizza. When Buffy heard the door opening, she knew it was Angel and got up to greet him.

"Hi honey. Where'd you…" She stopped as she saw Angel and Faith right behind him. She put a protective hand over her stomach. "Faith." Everyone stopped eating and looked up to see the rogue slayer standing before them. Buffy looked shocked and surprised. She looked to Angel. "Angel, explain."

"Liam." Was Angel's only response. Buffy looked down knowing what the rest of the story was. "Liam, got Faith out of prison because he said that we would need her for the future." Buffy looked up. She knew that Liam had offend done something that seems crazy to her but was none the less important to saving the future.

"Oh" She said.

"B." Faith said stepping forward. "Liam told me everything. He told me why he came back and why he needed me. I know I'm not your favorite person in the world, and I know that you probably won't forgive for what I've done to you. To any of you."

"Got that right." Xander said hotly. Faith ignored him.

"But Liam put me on my path to redemption. He died to try and save the future. I owe it to him and to you to help you with whatever comes next and whatever comes after that." Buffy looked at the rogue slayer and crossed her arms. She was right. Buffy would never fully forgive Faith for what she's done. No matter how many apocalypses she helps with. But Liam had faith in Faith. There's a pun. Buffy didn't really have a choice. If Liam wanted Faith, then she will have her.

"Ok." Buffy said. "You can stay and help."

"What?!" Xander said in shock. "Buffy you can't be serious."

"Liam wanted her here." Angel tried to defend Faith.

"I'm not so sure he knew exactly who Faith was."

"It doesn't matter." Buffy said.

"Have you forgotten what Faith's done to us?" Dawn said.

"She took over your body." Willow said.

"She helped evil nearly kill the entire town." Giles said.

"If anything, Liam should have made it so that Faith never got out of prison." Xander said.

"Look," Buffy said facing the gang. "I know we have mixed feelings about Faith."

"No. One feeling. Anger."

"Liam wanted her here."

"It's ok B." Faith said. Buffy turned to her sister slayer. "It's obvious what you all really want." She turned to leave.

"Faith wait." Faith left the house with tears in her eyes and started to run. She ran hard to the graveyard. She knew that she would receive some hostility. But she didn't expect it to hurt so much. Not from what they said and felt. She deserved it. It was how she felt. What she did to them. She realized that they tried to be her friends and she betrayed them. At least buffy made the effort to try and welcome her. Even if she wasn't wanted here, she knew someone who did and wanted to see him. Angel told her where Liam was buried and went to his grave. She stopped at his gravesite and looked at the plate. She saw his name and the bouquet of flowers that were left there by his parents. Faith took a few steps forward and looked at the grave. She placed a hand over her mouth and sniffled. She had only met her nephew once, and in that time, he had given her faith, hope, and love. Things she was deprived of as a child. She had only met Liam once and loved him since then. She began to cry for her dead nephew.

"Didn't know you felt that way about him." She heard a voice and turned. Buffy stood there with her arms crossed looking at Faith. Faith sniffled.

"Buffy." She said as she tried to compose herself. "I…I was just…"

"I know." Buffy took a few steps forward. "After I scolded the gang, Angel told me about yours and Liam's secret meeting." They both looked at the grave. "While I'm mad that he didn't tell me, I understand why and I'm glad you're here." Faith looked at her sister slayer. "He said that you helped him become the man he was. The man he will be. He said you saved him." Buffy looked at Faith. "I can never fully forgive you for what you've done to us, but you will become a source a great good. And you will help my future children. You will help us. I can forgive you enough for that."

"Buffy." Faith said tearfully. Buffy leaned forward and hugged Faith. She hugged back and started to cry again. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry about Liam. I really loved him."

"I know." Buffy said with tears forming. "He wouldn't have helped you if he didn't." They both hugged each other as they cried for Liam.

…

The next morning, Giles had called a meeting for the gang at the mansion. Everyone was in attendance.

"Are we all here?" Giles asked. Everyone nodded. "Then I shall begin with a question that we all have in our heads. Did what Liam did, help stop his apocalypse in the future?"

"I'm not sure." Buffy answered. "He said that I was meant to jump anyway and then come back. I'm not sure if that was even important to the future apocalypse."

"But her did tell us what these next events are right?" Xander asked.

"He only told us that the next event was Connor's conception and birth." Angel said. "He didn't tell us anything else."

"Then that means that we're fighting blind now." Willow said. "I mean without his future knowledge of what to change, how are we to stop what's to come?"

"He said the Wolfram and Hart are the powers that bring forth the apocalypse. Me and my team are already fighting them. With you guys helping behind the scenes, we might be able to know of their plans before they start them. Maybe even stop it from happening."

"It still would have been nice if Liam just left a note." Anya said. "Detailing everything and what to do."

"I already thought of that." Buffy said. "I looked through his stuff and found nothing. All he knew to change was in his head."

"And unfortunately, that's in the ground unable to process." Spike said. Angel sent him a glare.

"But we know who to fight." Faith said. "I say that's a good place to start."

"I concur." Giles said taking off his glasses and cleaning them. "We know who to fight. But it still would have been nice to know of how they accomplished their plans." He placed his glasses back on. Willow looked to the ground sadly.

"We'll find out." Buffy said. "We always do. We'll find out about Wolfram and Harts plans and stop them in their tracks. Then destroy the tracks. We owe it Liam that much to fight Wolfram and Hart. They want to bring about an apocalypse. We'll give them one of our own before they succeed." Everyone nodded in agreement. It wasn't going to be easy, but they would fight in Liam's memory.

Unknown to them, at Liam's grave site, six feet under, a sound was heard that was so low, not even a vampire could hear it. But the sound was steadily growing louder at a very slow pace. _Thump thump…thump thump…..thump thump…thump thump._ Liam's body was in his casket, in his only suit that he owned. He wore his father's coat and his mother's cross necklace, that laid outside of his shirt, on top of his tie. His chest slowly rose for a whole minute, then descended for another minute. His face had some facial hair that wasn't there when he was buried. _Thump thump…thump thump….thump thump…thump thump._

Liam was alive.

_Thump thump._

**And here endeth the story. Tell me what you think. Didn't really expect any of it did ya. Well her it is. Pretty good for a first story if I do say so myself. Tell me what you think. Comment and Review. Look for the next chapter that will tell you about the sequel.**


	30. Sequel

Chapter 30: Sequel

**Hey to all my viewers out there. This is a sequel alert. If you liked my story thus far, look out for my new story **_**Future Complications**_**. There is a possibility that this story arc will be a trilogy. I don't know, I'm just thinking about it. Anyway, the sequel will be more about Liam trying to stop Wolfram and Hart from bringing about the apocalypse in his time. There will be some Bangel thrown in there but I'm still working on it. It might center more around Liam then Buffy and Angel. Yes, Liam is alive and will be in the sequel, though he'll be different. You don't know? See if you can guess. Now while Liam will deal with Wolfram and Hart and the apocalypse, he will also have to deal with an enemy from his father's past who will try and thwart one of Liam's plans. Ok, it's obvious who it is. But what you might not expect is that there will be someone from Liam's past that will help him in the search for the key to the apocalypse in Liam's time. There will be some Buffy and Angel canon in the sequel. Maybe more on Angel canon because Buffy season six wasn't my favorite season. But I will try and get Buffy and Angel moments thrown in there. After everything that I've done, I still want to have a Buffy and Angel story. **

**Summary:**

_**Liam spent most of his time out in the field. Then he spent it trying to lead others to do what he needed to have happen to save his future. After Buffy and Angel get together, after they make his older brother, after spending four months in the ground, Liam takes himself off the bench. Wolfram and Hart wish to bring an apocalypse on to the world. Liam, Buffy, and Angel team up and face Wolfram and Hart from three sides. Direct, Indirect, and out of nowhere. Wolfram and Hart want to bring forth the apocalypse. Liam wants to give them one of his own. It's Cold War tactics now. After the Cold War…It's All-Out War. **_


End file.
